Face to Face & Running

Face to Face

A smoking tower
A burning flame
To know One who saves

Blackened skin
And charred bones
Only the ashes remain

My life is gone
Here no more
Still my spirit weeps

Weeps of praise
Weeps of thanks
Finally Face to Face

Running

I grabbed that hand
Packed my bags
And kissed His cheek

Alone in the deep
In despair
I know He still cares

Open arms
Welcoming back
Can this be real

This Forgiveness
This Grace
This Love is real

The Boy of Treeland

There once was a boy, in a tree up high.
He looked down at the world, what he saw made him cry.
The thing he desired, yet so far away,
‘Maybe I will finally reach it one day.’

‘If only there was, a way I think ,
To get to the ground, so think think think!
But my whole life, the life I’ve known,
I’ve never been down to the ground below.’

‘If only I had wings like the birds of the sky,
I could fly away forever, kiss this tree goodbye.
But such as poor Icarus would be my fate,
When the Sun and the wax begin to mate.’

A storm blew up, so ferocious with might,
It turned the day sky to the blackness of night.
The wind whipped round with a thud and a crack,
And the tree broke off and the boy went smack.

He saw stars as he was dazed and confused,
‘I must have hit a branch’ he groggily mused.
Lying on his back he took a big breath,
‘I wonder what this is, I smell something fresh.’

‘This can’t be bark of that I’m sure,
It’s soft like velvet and wonderfully pure!’
Bright color abounding unlike dull brown
‘I don’t believe it, I think I’ve hit ground.’

He turned he head, shocked at what he saw,
A sweet little girl trapped under a log.
‘Oh this cursed tree, I’ve hated it so,
Its taken the only one that I’d like to know.’

Her body came to life with a cough and a sputter,
The boy leaned down and he heard her mutter.
‘What has happened, what is this log?
I was struck by this tree while taking a jog.’

The boy helped her up and get herself free,
‘I wonder if that’s the boy who’s been looking at me.’
‘I came from the tree’ he said as he shook,
‘I’m the boy who has been giving you looks.’

A smile lit up and her face brightly shone,
‘Why don’t we talk about this on the way home?’
The boy and girl walked hand in hand,
Never again to return to Treeland.

My Journey Through Romans 8: Part 3 v. 18-30

The Bible bookends with two magnificent images. The first being our creation by God, the perfect Earth he made for us, and our unity with God. The end being our final redemption through the second coming of Christ, our perfect bodies, our perfect new home, and our right standing with God.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. -Revelation 21:3-7

Our first creation was perfect. No doubt about it. Our final creation is also perfect. God tells us he is the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega, just like our created habitats. The disheartening part is the middle. The time between these two states of utter glory and perfection. Nothing on this Earth can ever compare to the glory, majesty, and brilliance of being in the prescience of God. So long as we live, we can only imagine what that would be like. Contrary to this, many things in this world can be disheartening, saddening, maddening, and depressing. With war happening all the time, strife between each other, even Christians, murders, rape, kidnapping, pornography, and all of the other evils we encounter in this life, it is easy to be discouraged about the glory of God. That is what Paul is concerned with in this part of his letter.

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

All the writers of the Bible do not deny that we will suffer. Peter focuses on suffering as a major theme in some of his writings.

14But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect... -1 Peter 3:14-15

12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. -1 Peter 4:12-13

It is the glory ahead, the righteousness that Christ has made for us that we hope for. My last post dealt with becoming sons, or co-heirs, with Christ in all that is his. Paul expresses creation's longing for us to become sons of God. This will be the perfection of everything Christ did. This will be at the end. Until then we must keep our hope strong.

20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden created this problem. God expelled man from His perfection.

16To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
17And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.” -Genesis 3:16-19

We weren't meant to have pain, thorns or thistles, discord between each other, and death. These were the consequences though for our actions. God made us stewards to the planet and he also cursed the planet because of us. This is why Paul personifies creation as groaning. As Christians we groan too. We wait for the fulfillment of our Savior to make this right again. The best part of our groaning is that we know there is a coming answer. We must patiently wait, knowing that God is working in our everyday lives as well as preparing a future for us.

28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28 [Some manuscripts read God works all things together for good or God works in all things for the good.]

1“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4And you know the way to where I am going.” -John 14:1-4

If it weren't enough to have this hope and knowledge that God is working for us always, we get even more encouragement.

26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

The Spirit of God. Take some time to search the Bible and look for the Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, Spirit of of Christ, and the many others names by which He can be called. He is a part of God. He is God. The book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan goes into great depth about who the Holy Spirit is and His role in our lives. It is a phenomenal insight to the nature of God. One thing he says is this:

"... the Spirit is infinite and cannot be known fully by humans. Know that even as you seek to understand the Spirit more, He is so much more and bigger than you will ever be able to grasp. This is not an excuse to stop seeking to know Him, but don't limit Him to what you can learn about Him. The point is not to completely understand God but to worship Him. Let the very fact that you cannot know Him fully lead you to praise Him for His infiniteness and grandeur."

We have God dwelling in us each and every second of every day. Helping guide our decisions, pull us through tough times, celebrating with us, teaching us new things. Paul talks bout the Spirit's interceding for us with God the Father. We pray to God for things we want, for forgiveness, for thanks, for praise, but there are some things we may forget, or we may not know how to ask for them, or can't seem to put them in words. Praise God the Spirit is there for us. God knows what we need and what we even want thanks to God the Spirit in us. This is part of God working for our good in all things. To top off this hope God knows us.

29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God sets his love on us. He cleanses us. He glorifies us. The hope yet to come is incredible. The best part of our current state of hope is that God is right there with us. Life is rough and discouraging but we know that there are better things to come in the future when Christ's full glory is revealed. Come, Lord Jesus.

My Journey Through Romans 8: Part 2 v. 5-17

Flesh. We are flesh. If one performs a Google search using just the term flesh they find what one would expect to find. Definitions of what the body is made of, tattoos, diseases of the flesh, and even a movie titled Flesh that is described as “A man desperate for money and no income, turns prostitute and interplays with a variety of clients and hustlers.”

“5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

If we are flesh are we automatically hostile to God? In short, yes. Even as I write this I tell myself no. I am not hostile towards my God! But the truth is that we are. This is not something that began with us. This goes back to creation. We are children of Adam and Eve and therefore sinners. The fall of man put us all at direct opposition with God. We are automatically starting out behind. There is good news to this though, we don’t have to catch up alone.

“9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”

The Spirit of God, God himself, lives in us. Is there a greater hope than this? My last post dealt with the cleansing power of Christ and the Spirit in us so I won’t repeat it here, but honestly, how amazing is it to know that although we are naturally hostile towards God we are still forgiven and counted righteous through our faith and the grace of God? The ability to fall on our face and cry out to God in the midst of pain, joy, suffering, celebration is a gift we can never repay. Throughout the Psalms the writer cries out to God in many different ways:

3:1 “O Lord, how many are my foes!”

5:1 “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.”

13:1 “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”

45:6 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”

61:1 “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;”

Anguish, requests, lament, praise. We can approach our God with all of it. There is even a difference between us and the psalmist. He was bound by the Law, we are freed from the Law and brought into God’s presence through the sacrifice of Christ. While he cried to God there was still a lack of connection. The gap of sin had not yet been bridged and the Spirit of God had not yet been given. How much more are we then privileged?

“16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Titus 3:7 “…so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

We are considered heirs with Christ. Heirs to inherit glory and eternal life. Christ owns everything. EVERYTHING. John states this in his Gospel from the very beginning.

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

This talk about becoming heirs with Christ becomes ever more humbling when we begin to grasp what that truly means. Imagine for a moment you walk out to your mailbox one day and see a letter from a lawyer. Many things will probably start running through your mind, ‘Am I being sued?’ ‘What have I done wrong?’ or you may simply just be confused. Now imagine that you open that letter to find out that your mother had a brother that you never knew existed but he sure knew about you. Turns out he has always wanted you to have everything you ever wanted because he never had kid of his own. His everything then becomes your. His fortune, his home, his cars, let’s say he was so rich he even owned his own island that is now your island. Sounds like a dream come true right? Back to reality. That chances of that happening to you on this earth are extremely low. Now let’s focus on the truth. Everything that your rich uncle had wasn’t his, it was Christ’s. This entire earth is Christ’s. The universe. He made it all, he rules is all, and he is sharing it with you. The Lord of all creation is beckoning that we become co-heirs with him. The material things, such as this world, still don’t compare with the eternal life that he gives us, which, keep in mind, he still owns.

I could spend a lot more time referencing all the places in the Bible that talk about denying the flesh and living by the Spirit but I’ll let you read them on your own. I want to end this on this last note:

Revelation 21 “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

The glory of God is unfathomable and never ending and he chooses to share that with us. Come, Lord Jesus.

My Journey Through Romans 8: Part 1 v. 1-4

What an encouraging piece of Scripture we find in Romans 8. There is so much packed into this tiny text that can revolutionize the way we look at our lives.

Starting at verse 1 I hit the word "Therefore." Therefore what? Therefore logically follows something else, saying, "in consequence of that." In consequence of what? A quick glance back at the second half of 7:25 provides reasoning for Paul to use the word "therefore."

"So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

Therefore! It may seem overwhelming to think that you want to do what is right mentally but are bound by your sinful nature. Paul knows how this feels (Romans 7:14-20). For that reason, he slams the word therefore in there. You may be a slave to sin, but don't worry, the Spirit of Life frees us from that sin. The Spirit that works through the power of Christ.

"1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

God set up the law for his people to follow. His people sinned and this sin weakened the law. God saw the need to satisfy this law so we could draw near to him.

Hebrews 7:18-19: "18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."

So, the Holy Spirit has cleansed us of our sinful nature through the incredible power of Jesus. Jesus' power came from conquering death in the form of sinful man while not sinning. A result of these two working together is seen in verse 4: "in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."

How awesome is this series of events? Christ fulfills the law so we can draw near to God and be counted righteous because of him. Once we accept that Christ did this for us, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our life and cleanses us, frees us, to accept that righteousness that Christ prepared. How unbelievable... The God of the universe, of quasars and neurons, of bee hummingbirds and blue whales, set all of this in motion because he wanted you. He wanted to be close to you. He loves you and wants a personal relationship with you. How incredible.

2010 christmas card

Bold Bright Wishes Christmas

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Love

The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a glowing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing, it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of Divine accident.

-Sir Hugh Walpoe.

As the blood mixed with the water and flowed down the drain, a sick sense of pride filled his mind. Neurons firing with pleasure as to the horrendous feat he has just accomplished. His hand was bloody, as was his face, but he had done it. For the first time he felt this is what a man should feel like, powerful, triumphant, even if some of his own blood was shed. As he examined himself in the mirror, he wiped the blood from his wounds and cleaned up his face and gave a smirk of success. "Now to only wait for the five o'clock shadow," he thought.

God bless you?

Do we really mean it when we say it? Or is it just a habit. Think about it; mean it when you say it to somebody. They need God's blessing, just like us. So be it.

Rufezzial

A rough draft of my take on Rapunzel.

Rufezzial
I
One day, in a dark stormy village there lived a man and his wife. Their cottage was among the best in the village as most of the water was kept out of their house, save a few leaks by the windows, a near gaping hole next to the fireplace where a rouge a spark had ignited part of the logs that formed the junction of the wall and the roof. Although, as I say, their cottage was nicer than most in this village, which was lucky if it saw 40 days of sunshine a year.
The man and his wife sat one evening sipping from a winter stew that she had made for them to consume to fend off the chills. The woman sat with multiple blankets on her lap as to fend off the cold for her baby, which continued to grow inside her. Midway through her stew she stopped, looking bleak and dismal, looked at her husband and said, “Dear, I do believe this stew is lacking… if only it had a hint of cardamom we could fend off the chills for rest of the upcoming winter.”
Her husband was so overcome with love for his bride and child to be that he ventured out into the maelstrom and into the forest. He came upon the garden of the wizard that inhabited their parts. The wizard was known to be especially cruel to people he caught trespassing in his parts and especially cruel when they took things that belonged to him.
The husband saw his eyes desire, the cardamom with its tiny blue blossoms showing and the small black seeds that adorned its leaves. He walked in to the garden, almost as if he forgot to whom it belonged. As he was stuffing his satchel full of the mystical herb he heard a quiet but constant clicking. He froze. He thought he knew what it might be, but he was too petrified to turn and see. He never had to turn; before he could the wizard whipped around in front of him. The rage and disgust burned in the old wizard’s face. The long grey beard that fell from his face was scraggly and tattered in place, the wrinkles on his faces showed a man who was not afraid of confrontation.
“Apparently the lust of a common village man is enough to bid him enter my garden. Surely my reputation has preceded me and you must know of who I am. In any case, ignorance in this day in age is unacceptable.”
“Your majesty,” the man said quivering lowly to the ground, “please have pity on me, for my wife is with child and we sit next to the fire and shiver in this cold weather. We thought if we had some of the herb we could be warmed through the harsh winter and our future child would make it to see the light of day.”
The wizard made the man a deal. The man was to take all the herbs he wished but as soon as the woman was done nursing their child he was to be handed over to be in the wizards care. In fear of not only his life but also his wife and child’s he obliged.

II
In a desolate chamber at the top of a small tower sat a boy no more than 14 years of age. Though he did not look like the typical boy of the age. His brown hair was long, very long. So long as that when it was let down from the bunch he kept it in that is stretched twenty-three feet. Most wonder how a boy grew twenty-three feet in only a 14-year span. So quickly we forget that the boy was under the care of a very powerful wizard.
When the wizard wished to see Rufezzial he would call up, “Rufezzial, throw down that which I have given you!” and the boy would send his hair down for the wizard to climb up. This happened everyday of every year as the wizard went to check on the boy.
One day a young, beautiful princess was strolling through the forest with her maidservant. The princess had eyes crafted by the hand of God himself, to look into them one was lost until the princess fixed her gaze elsewhere. The figure of the princess was not merely one of skin and bones, but rather one of adventuresome proportions. Just upon looking at her near perfect figure one could surmise that she had spent a great deal of her time hiking through the forest and partaking in other adventurous tasks. As she was walking through the forest she heard the sound of a lyre and a beautiful voice accompanying it.
She sat down on a mossy rock to enjoy the music at length when she heard the noise of leaves crackling under feet at a distance not too far off. As she looked to her maidservant she saw almost an expression of horror. She turned in the direction she was looking to see the wizard talking to apparently the person who had been playing the music as it had stopped. She watched the scene of the wizard ascending into the tower and then reappearing later.
When the wizard had gone the princess went to the base of the tower and said the words the wizard had said. Immediately long lock of brown hair were dangling from the window at the top of the tower. When she got to the tower she was shocked to see the young boy sitting desolately on his stone bed next to his lyre. When she asked him why he was locked up in this tower he did not know what to say. He had been in this tower his whole life and did not know what to say. Upon hearing of his ignorance of life the princess sent her maidservant to go running back to the kingdom and send a message to the Queen about the boy. She was going to rescue him but needed some rope to descend the tower before the wizard came back. The maidservant ran off into the twilight as light dimmed and the woods began to come alive with creatures of the night.
The maidservant returned and said “Rufezzial, thrown down that which I have given you!” When the maidservant came up the ladder she had a rope in her hands but she was in the hands of the wizard.
“How dare you try and take my boy!” the wizard bellowed. Before any body could do or say anything the wizard threw the maidservant and spoke the words animam edere as he pointed his staff at her. Immediately she was dead.
As the wizard was basking his the warm glow of death that had filled the room the princess leapt forward on onto the wizard, knocking him over. She landed on top of him with on hand pressing his chest. The wizard didn’t move. As she slowly returned to her feet she slid the dagger out of the wizards chest.
The princess and Rufezzial left the tower with the body of the maidservant. They returned to the kingdom and gave a proper burial of honor to the young maidservant.

III
The princess and Rufezzial began a family together, and eventually took over the rule of the kingdom.
One day out of inspection of their territory they came upon a small cottage in a tiny village in which sat and old man and his aging wife next to the fire. The Queen saw the gaping hole in the roof and wall where most of their heat was escaping. Rufezzial on the other hand was lost in the faces of the couple. The felt a connection to them and took pity on them and their house. Upon returning to the castle the Queen ordered that the couple be given repairs to their cottage free of charge and that any need the had of the kingdom was theirs free of charge.

Liberal Christian Government Identity

Quick question... Should Christians enforce morals and laws on everyone? I say no, but to other Christians.

The thinking I am having is one of why should we be able to dictate how everyone behaves? I don't feel that we have any right to dictate our morals and "standards" of sin on the general public. I do feel that we ought to live by those and go with those in our church but we should not enforce those laws on every non-Christian. We should love them unconditionally and in our efforts of being loving, compassionate, and non-condemning we might in effect showing them the saving power of Christ and the Christian morals.

I think back to the Jews of the old testament, I'm not sure on exactly how their laws were but to me it appears that they followed their religious laws but didn't try to push them on everyone who was not a Jew, I'm not a scholar so please correct me if I am wrong. I just feel we should set and example for people rather then trying to forbid of pass laws to adhere to our moral and religious standards. I am basically saying I agree with the separation of Church and State as it is in France. It is different than here and more neutral but I agree with it. I'm not condoning any sin, just thinking that we shouldn't be distraught over laws and legislation we don't agree with, overcome these with Christ living through you.

Feel free to disagree, just a thought for the day.

The Creation Debate

Anyone who lives in the world today knows of the active debate going between man about how everything that is here came to be. Intelligent design, evolution, intelligent design with the help of evolution, and there are more less popular theories out there. It's one thing to know what you believe and why, it's another to debate those beliefs with others, but it is an entirely different story to try to prove your theory right when you might be putting that effort into saving a soul.

The main point I am trying to make is not one the everyone likes to hear. For a Christian maturing in their faith it is important for them to know what they beleive on the matter and why. But if you are having a conversation with someone who is not saved by Christ and you begin to try and prove why your creation belief is betterthan theirs, we are really saying, "what is more important than your soul is the fact that I'm right." The issue of how the world came to be is an arguement that we should make after we save the soul of those wanting to debate us on it.

It's not bad to talk about this topic at all, my main point is to not turn someone off to the saving power of Christ because a debate about how we are here, instead of why we are here.


-- Post From My iPhone

Innocence leads to Ignorance

"The final result of the book is quite inspiring, but some of the "pictures" presented in the book are a little extreme. The sexual perversions of America are vividly portrayed. For people who have already been exposed to the tremendous sin that is available in this country, this book will doubtlessly be an inspiration. But for those who want to keep their purity and be innocent in relation to the world's evil, I do not recommend this book. I was sorry I read it."

The above text was a review of the book "The President" by Parker Hudson. Christians with the world view in this review lead the world to think we are feebly, better than them, and afraid to socialize with them and befriend them. We need not to be afraid to be with them and reach out with them, do not follow the sins, but love them and not shun them. Christ never walked away from other because of sexual acts or sins, neither should we.

Mr. Mockingbird

I haven't seen the stars, which might be some of my favorite objects ever, it what may very well be 4-5 weeks that I can remember. Everyday seems to be filled with clouds and most likely rain, I don't mind the rain but now it is almost getting ridiculous. Although I can say I have had some wonderful company at night. There is a male mockingbird who has nested in the tree outside my room and sings as I lay in bed; it has been very relaxing. Sadly, tonight I saw the lonely moon with no stars and my friend Mr. Mockingbird appears to have either finally found his mate and quit singing or taken to a different locale. I am ready for some clear skies soon.

Few Thoughts For The Day

Some storms blew up today. As I looked to the sky, some dark, swiftly moving dark clouds cleared my view to see the magnificent cumulus clouds that loomed far above. This reminds me of the way it is with God. Dark times and wrath may bear down and be present, but he is always there during those dark times, watching, in control, even when the dark times return to bring more rain.

The average storm last 2-3 hours (liberally speaking). If one lives to be 75 years old, they will live 657,000 hours. If they experience one storm per week, that is 3,900 storms in their life, they will experience approximately 9,750 hours of storms. 1.48% of a person's life will be experiencing storms, the power of God. Enjoy these wonders, they reveal so much about our Creator. Personally, I hope to experience far more than 9,750 hours.

A Discovery Channel show on Jesus just made the statement that around 2/3 of the world is Christian (that includes all denominations, including Catholic). From my life experience, either this statistic is greatly skewed, or many lips are shut. Either way, change needs to occur.

A Sunny Room with a Southern Exposure

As I was perusing my library of the many books that I should read but as of now have not, I opened up my John Adams book by David McCullough. A quote struck me as very relevant to the economic status of these times we are currently in, and while I can not say for certain when, as it is not dated, this quote appears to have been uttered by John Adams sometime in the 1790's, around 210 years before our current economic state.

"I am so well satisfied with my present simplicity that I am determined never to depart from it." He said this making a vow never again to spend money just to keep up appearances, as times were tight.

I challenge everyone to think about this quote, regardless of the mouth from which it was uttered, it serves a great purpose.


Updated: To further this discussion, as I was reading some works from Albert Einstein, this part of which does not require much interpretation as he is a straight shooter.
1934
"I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds. Money only appeals to selfishness and irresistibly invites abuse. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus, or Gandhi armed with the money-bags of Carnegie?"

Psychological Delay

I know that I am not a psychologist or an expert by any means, but I think perhaps what I am about to discuss might hold some ground. It relates to Freud's ideas of the unconscious and the id.

I know if you are like me that there have been many times when some one said something or asked me a question and I immediately responded, "What?" even though I knew exactly what they said and could even repeat it to them. Perhaps they would ask something like the following, "Did you see that amazing game last night?" to which I would reply ,"What?" and they would repeat themselves but I could finish their sentence for them. I thought to some extent as to why I would say "what" after some statement or question. I asked my friends if they did the same thing and they agreed that they had, perhaps more or less than I, but they did none the less.

As I ran these thoughts over in my mind today I came to the conclusion, rather a small, more insignificant one, that the response generated by me immediately was not of my conscious or rather ego, but rather my unconscious, or id. The id, not necessarily feeling anxiety, forces the ego to push out the question "what?" in order to give the mind more time to come up with an answer and reaction. It uses this as a defense mechanism to help avoid what it may see as an embarrassment in the stalling period while thinking of a response. To avoid this, the id pushes out "what" to give the mind more time to recall. Going back to the earlier question, one may stall three or four seconds while recalling the game from the night before so they can discuss it. This defense mechanism allows the mind to recall the game the previous night while the person asks the question a second time so as not to seem slow or dim-witted.

While there may not be a solid, scientific proof for this theory rather than my reasoning, I feel that this explanation may explain why the forced "what" pops out without us thinking about it. I welcome and suggestions, comments, and/or criticisms.

America's Youth

Yesterday, my brother and I were communicating through e-mail at work and were having a rather ardent conversation, that at times became quite rabid, that began on the US Supreme Court's ruling on the Washington D.C. law regarding personal gun control. The topic of discussion switched when chase mentioned that a real concern of his is the ignorance of many youth of America. Since the introduction of word processors, computers, and calculators, it is easy for today's young student to become incredibly lazy and still make it through high school and even college.

While I will admit that I am no different from anyone else in taking full advantage of all of these resources that technology has brought us, I often yearn for a trip back in time when it was no so easy to write a report on the works of William Shakespeare as to simply search the internet for a few biographies written about him and then copy, paste, and type of few words of my own on to my Word document, which will help correct any spelling or grammatical error I have made with out making me actually learn what I have done wrong, and submitting it for a grade. My senior year of high school I wrote a 6-7 page paper I believe on the ancient philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas and give a 10 minute speech on my paper. I had one book written by Sir Thomas that I used for research, I took his three main theological principals and vaguely discussed them, and the rest of the resources were internet based articles on his life that I used to complete the assignment. While I found him very interesting and still do, I could not recall much from that paper I believe because I did not truly have to search for the information, I merely took others work and put it in my own words without putting it in my brain.

I think the actual effort of looking up resources and reading them rather than blindly searching for keywords and putting them on paper can greatly increase the knowledge one retains when writing these sort of research papers. I read in the newspaper about a year ago of a boy who graduated from a Kentucky high school without the ability to read. How does this happen? Has education and society become so that it is politically incorrect to criticize and teach someone who can't read at the age of 18 after 13 years of schooling? I could not let this stand. Are we afraid to step on people toes about these things? It is not rude or incorrect, but rather helpful and beneficial to make sure that children actually perform well to get to the next level in their education.

I feel that the internet and television are wonderful and great inventions but that society has turned to them to act as a daycare for their children when they don't feel like dealing with them. Channels such as the Discovery Channel, TLC, the Travel Channel, National Geographic, A&E, and many more channels do have quality, educational programs on that are worth watching. I am not saying that all other channels and shows are not. there is nothing wrong with unwinding after a day of work by sitting down and watching an episode of Seinfeld or Friends, but when our children are constantly glue to the television for hours a day and surf the internet for a few more hours, this is not healthy. On my bookshelf I have perhaps over 100 books ranging from classic William Shakespeare to Japanese cult classic books such as Battle Royale. Bram Stoker, Dumas, Homer, Dickens, Melville, Stevenson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle share the shelves with Neil Gaiman, George Orwell, Will Lavender, Patrick O'Brian, Stephen King, and Tom Clancy. I have not read every book on my shelf and read the goofy, sci-fi Neil Gaiman books probably more than the Charles Dickens, I enjoy sitting down and watching an episode of two of Frasier and Family Guy, sitting down and playing Grand Theft Auto IV or watching Star Wars, I am no different than anybody else, but I think that reading greatly enhances the mind and its capabilities. Whether you sit down to read "Hamlet" or such a goofy read as Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," whether it is for 5 minutes or 50 minutes, non-fiction or fiction, the stimulation of the mind by reading is a wonderful thing. It helps cultivate the minds vocabulary, writing skills, comprehension, and logic skills just by a little bit of reading.

Don't rely on the internet to entertain you along with hours of television, spend quality time with your family and friends. take a few minutes out of your day to pick up a book, educational magazine, newspaper, anything like this and read a bit of it, you are never to old to stop learning. For those of you with kids, remember, a child watches your every move. If you watch hours of T.V. they will want to as well, if they see you reading for just a little bit here and there, they will want to also and it can greatly cultivate their young, intelligent minds.

Poetry

These are a few poems I have written recently.

Trash
Trash is all around
Rash to throw things out
Ash is all over the ground
Sh! this we don’t talk about
H-bombs make trash of the ground.


Epigrams

If looks could really kill
My profession would be staring.


I hate the cold
But love ice cream.


Good Company

Coffee cake is good
When you eat it with a friend
Especially me.



The Bookshelf

Shelves packed with many different colors
Words of different meanings
Books that may never be read
Or they may show tears and signs
Of age and wear
New dust covers shine in the light
While old cardboard bends and warps
The oak it rests upon
Also showing signs of its time.


'O Death

O, Death
Your fear no more, your pain is gone,
Power has fled from your arms,
And in to mine.
I may not conquer you,
But I know one who did,
And conquers you for me.

Dressed to Kill

The church stands with steeple cast high in the sky, cross reaching out to the heavens. The worn brick shows signs of age and the many years past. The day is bright and sunny, perfect for a ceremony. The interior of the church is decorated its finest with floral covering the stage and walls. The stained glass windows cast a beautiful light onto the people seated in the pews dressed in their finest clothes.

Everyone is there that should be. Aunts, parents, friends, grandparents, children, and cousins. All of whom are dressed to kill. They mingle with one another waiting for the ceremony to start, making small talk and discussing the past. Tears roll down the faces of some while loving smiles cover others.

The preacher comes up and gives a speech while a few others close to the beloved couple say a few things. More tears are shed as the ceremony goes on.

The group proceeds outside the church for the second half of the service. A few dont attend this part but the majority make it. The sun continues to shine down making the weather glorious. A lite breeze is blowing the dresses of some of the woman and causing others to hold their hats on their heads. Men and woman holding hands and embracing each other.

The ceremony comes to an end with a prayer, "Father, they will be missed."