a long shortstory .. the 3rd part ..

" i am undone" the king said
" this has hurt me much
our kingdom is poorer for it all"

he paused..

" but we will not be undone ..
although we have a formidable enemy we will move on
i will restore peace and security in my kingdom
all is not lost ..
trust me

you know me
you have served this kingdom under my rule
and know i am an honorable king
a just ruler
and i love you my people with everlastinglove ..

as for the Darkeyed Scowler ..
i know your thoughts
i know he deserved harsher treatment ..
but tell me
rehearse for me the landlaw of our kingdom .."

" thou shalt love the king and serve him only
with all thy heart and all thy soul
and love thy fellowperson as thou lovest thyself  " ..

the city reverberated with the words ..
familiar words
an oath that was repeated by all
in unison
across the land
everyday
at suncome and sungo

they sounded from the balconies
echoed through the halls ..
there was nowhere the oath was not heard
nowhere it was not spoken

good words that had served the kingdom in good stead allalong ..
nowhere in the universe did a people espouse such a covenant
an oath rooted in love
rather than in power or strength or wealth ..

this was a dominion that sprung from love ..

it had served to bind them together
even in the worst of times ..
until now
until now
.. ..  . ..  . .. .     .

the king let the words hover in the airspace ..
from the balconies
through the halls
in all the homeplaces ..
words fervidly spoken
from his heart .. .  .     .    .
...

" today my son returns " he said
" he brings goodnews i am sure ..

together we will look into the future

we will look to a newpath
a way to extend the coretruth of our oath in the universe .. "

the people cheered ..
they loved the king
they loved the son
together they would see this through
the kingdom would stand
persevere
extend
even in these darkened days ..
... ..... .    ..

the son had been away for some longtime
he has been farroaming the universe
seeing what was out there
going where noone had gone before

he was on the other side of the Milkway galaxy when the rebellion flared
toofar to return any sooner
and now
he was here
homeplace
... . .       .

the king and the son talked for manydays
they spoke of the rebellion
they discussed the son's travels
the wonders the places the kingdoms he had seen
they talked longtime into the nights
took longwalks in the starlight
or perched on some highcliff
reclined under some talltree
longtalk ..

and so it went ..
... ..   .... .

then
oneday
a longlongtime ago
the king called the court together ..

as the king spoke
the halls were silent
the courtiers attentive

the people had gathered without
waiting eagerly for the king's words
they trusted the king and the son to lead them into longfuture
and secure their kingdom from assault by the Darkeyed Scowler ..

" today i bring good tidings of great joy " he said
" the son and i have spoken atlength for longlongtime
we have devised a plan to secure the kingdom ..
we will travel to the ends of the Cosmos
to a spaceplace called the Milkway
we will plant a people there
a new people
somewhat unlike us
but like us
a people of newkind .."

the court buzzed with the words
the people without talked
backandforth
backandforth
as the king paused
waiting for his words to settle on those that had earstohear
...

" i know this is a newthing ..
i know we have not passed thisway before
but we are confident this will work ..

the Darkeyed Scowler must be shown that our landlaw will prevail
for it is the bestlaw ..

the coretruth of our landlaw will prevail
for it is rooted in love
and love cannot fail ..
it will persevere in the Cosmos
as we extend its influence across spacetime
into the spaceplace called Milkway
with a new world and a new creature ..
a creature somewhat unlike us
but like us ..

the Darkeyed Scowler and his forces will see that lovelaw is bestlaw
for lovelaw is heartlaw
that flows from inside us
freely
without compulsion

our kingdom will prevail
it will extend across timespace into all the Cosmos
peoples everywhere will adopt our truthlaw of love
and the Cosmos will be a betterplace because of it "
...  ... . . .... .. .

               more to come

a long shortstory .. the 2nd part ..

all was deathly still as the king spoke ..

" you were the most trusted in my court " he began
" did i not honour you above all others  ?
were you not my own personal honourguard
the one to whom i entrusted my very honour  ?
how is it then that you have done this thing  ?

you have lacked for nothing
anything you wanted was yours to have ..
.. .    . "

there was a very long pause
the gravity of the king's words hung in the air
like some heavycloud on a windless day
just sitting there ..
you could have heard a single raindrop fall in that court
noone moved
noone spoke
everyone just waited
still

" i have made my decision ..
you
and those who followed you in this rebellion
are forever banished form my kingdom
to wander the darkness that lies beyond
you will not be allowed to enter these gates ever again ..

except for you ..
you may register a plea to appear before me thrice in any year
i will grant the request or not
as i see fit

you will never again feel the warmth of this place
enjoy its privileges
its plenty
its peace

you have shamed your king by your action
and left a hollowness among the people

and you have taken a third of the kingdom with you in your betrayal

shameonyou ..
i can look upon you nomore now
leave
and do notsoon return to this place
or i will punish you for it beyond your imaginings  ..

begone ! "
.. .. .  . . ....     .

the disgraced honourguard turned and walked out
he held his head low as he walked
face towards the floor of the hall ..
but
there was an almost imperceptible scowl on his face as he left
his darkened eyes glaring almost ..
   fired
a slight swagger ? in his step

he was escorted to the gates of the city
where those that followed him awaited
still bound
under guard

they were ushered out of the gates
and the gargantuan gates were shut
barred
locked
.. .. . .

as they walked out into the darkness beyond the city
perhaps 10 furlongs off
the defrocked honourguard stopped
turned ..
he stood there a longtime
gazing at the city walls
while his silent followers looked on ..

his eyes became darker with each passing moment
his shoulders straightened
his chest rose
his fists became like granite ..
finally
after a longtime
he turned his head towards the heavens
and let out a scream
a shout so loud and piercing
it was heard within the very city walls ..
it rang out for what seemed like forever
and then suddenly
stopped ..

a deathly silence followed
the whole land was still
paused
there had never been heard a sound like that in the kingdom before
everyone everywhere was still
and remained still for a longwhile ..
while the rebel turned and continued walking
his forces aligned behind
out
into the darkness
away
from the king
away
from the kingdom
.. .. .  ....  .    .

the kingdom had been split
its people divided
it was now a smaller kingdom

and
somehow
it was a little less .. securefeeling
a little more threatenedfeeling

the longpeace of the kingdom had been disturbed
and while the king had maintained his rightauthority as sovereign
a slight fowlsmell seemed to scent the air
a slightly darkened sky pervaded ..
   almost scowllike
it was like .. the sky wasn't as bright as it used to be
and outside the city seemed to be darker somehow
and the people walked a little softer
joked a little less
felt
somehow
a little less freelike ..
they turned in earlier
and began to lock their doors at night ..

and so it went
...  . . . .. .    .

after the king's edict
and the Darkeyed Scowler had left the city
while his howl yet rang in the ears of the people
those in the court began to talk ..
the chatter increased rapidly as they spoke
back and forth
talking faster and louder as they commented to each other about the king
and what he had said
and what he had done  ..

what had he done  !  ?
what indeed  !  ?

" doesn't he know what he has done ? "
" indeed ! he has loosed the dastardlyone to wreak damage "
" i for one am astounded ! i thought the king would have had him beheaded .. "
" or at least kept in chains ! "
" aye.. in the Bottomless Pit ! "
" this is madness ! we are all at risk
   suppose he comes back ? "
" didn't you hear the king ? he said he could come back ! ! "
" madness .. "

and so it went ..

until one of the king's new honourguard raised his hand and sounded his voice
" be still !
the king speaks "
and all stilled
all stopped their chatter
and looked throneward
to the king ..

       more to come ..

my blessed thanksgiving ..

it's ' black friday '
and it is a black friday
seeing humans unhuman ourselves
behaving in the most animistic ways
threatening maligning injuring each other
for the sake of that Almighty $
that god
of which Jesus said
" you can't serve 2 masters at the same time
God
and Mammon "
   the demon of covetousness ..

the love of wealth is the root of all kinds of evil ..

... . . . . . . . . .     .

i was privileged
i sat at 2 well-laid tables
enjoyed delicious foods
communed with other humans ..
while theunhumans prepped for assault

the privilege derives from knowing there are 3,500+ homeless people in this county alone
although some had food
some didn't
and found it hard to find a place to lay their head ..
maybe under some bridge
or in bushes
or in an alley where they figured the authorities wouldn't find them ..
trying to stay warm

and there are over 600,000 of them in this country
and many many many many more around our world ...

i'd say i was highly privileged yesterday ..

and then i got to commune with some of them
around the table
listening to them touch on some of their history
my insides turning
my soul churning
as i heard of life in the bushes
fear of being killed by a husband
   every night ..
the mammoth injustice of a lawyer stealing 90% of an award
made to an officer of the law
after he was run over and dragged hundreds of feet
suffering severe injury
and near loss of his leg ..
one person's 20-medication diet
1 of which costs approx $600 a month
with an income of $1,100 ..
a homeless vet
who lost half of his insides to a bayonet thrust
now barely making it
...
and on and on and on ..
.....  . ..  . .   .

i consider my self highly privileged
to have spent my evening in the presence of such fine human beings
who are in the midst of dragging around their huge burdens

while the unhumans pushed and shoved and cursed and assaulted and ranover each other
for a tv
or an xbox
or whatthehellever
... . .. . .

i intend to put their stories out there
for all the world to see
and hear
and ruminate on

because we treat our fellowhumans like animals
and argue over whether they deserve to eat and drink and be clothed and warm
whether they should be able to live and move and have their being
like everybody else

we are ill
we have been indoctrinated
propagandized
by the moneyed and the media behind the capitalistic mindset
   that chases moremoremoremoremore

we have lost our soul

shame shame
shame

.. especially
particularly
most-of-all-ly
us who dare to label ourselves ' christians '
.. shame

a long shortstory .. the 1st part ..

one day
a long long time ago
somewhere far away
there was a revolt ..
a high official in the court of the king
   the king's right hand man
led it

he had risen to a position of honour with the king
and was charged with his protection
a coveted post reserved for only the most trustworthy

for the honour of the king was a matter of the highest import

apart from this the official was tremendously blessed
he stood headandshoulders above the others in the king's court
he was very handsome
and he had a special talent
   he was able to make the most glorious music
   majestic sound that awed everyone listening

he was almost a shoo-in
noone else came close

the king trusted him with his honor
and he honoured the king with that marvelous music he was able to make
in the presence of all the courtiers

he was the king's personal honourguard
.... . . . .   .. .

it so happened that this man's own honour grew among the people

he recognized the honour he had been given to serve the king as his personal honourguard
he knew of course the effects his gifts and talents had on them all
and he relished every moment
such that over time he became enamoured with his own honour ..
he began to think of himself
as the king

" the people love me
they wait for me to appear every day
they long to see me
and to hear my music
they cry out for me
and applaud when i reveal myself ..
is it not commonly known that there is none like me in the land  ? ..
mirror mirror - am i not the most beautiful  ?
..
how then is it that he garners all the praise at the solemn assemblies
why does he have all the power
who is he that noone else can compare or take his place  ? ..

the people love me
they love me .. "

and so it went ..
... . ..  ..  . . . .   .

slowly he began to build support ..
here and there he made guarded comments
said things
asked questions ..

inuendo

he never slighted the king outright of course
or slandered his honour
or complained of mistreatment or unfairness or injustice ..
to do that would have been seen for the allout lie it was ..
he simply planted doubtseeds here and there
sprinkling them in almost undiscernible ways and places
so that noone could ever have accused him of being unthankful or dissatisfied or slighted

and so it went
.. . .   .. . .     .

over time the king's personal honourguard began to be honoured
even in the king's presence
the people's laud of him became more and more open

the king was not unaware of this of course
after all he was not the king for no reason
he was marvelously wise and astute
hardly anything escaped his wisdom
he knew
and he needed not that anyone tell him what was in hearts
for he himself knew the hearts
the motivations
secret though they may be

but he allowed it
he wanted to see where this silent rebellion would lead
who it would effect
how it would affect his kingdom

he was the king
and he wasn't the king for no reason
he was marvelously wise
he knew the hearts

.. .. . ..

finally
one day
long long ago
the honourguard came out  ..
he decided the time was ripe
he took the step
the coup was on

almost a third of the people joined in the rebellion against the king
the rebel forces were strong and formidable
the ones that stood with the king fought hard
the battle raged and the casualties were enormous

eventually the king's forces won the day
the rebellion was put down
the honourguard and his rebel forces were taken prisoner and held in chains
awaiting the king's edict
.. . . ...... .

the people were shocked
" how could this have happened "
" who would have thought ... ? "
" i never imagined .. he of all people .. "

and so it went ..

until the day the king called his court to inform them of his decision

they waited
sure that the king would make an example of the dishonoured honourguard
how dare he have challenged the king ? !
he was surely to be bound in chains
and cast into the deepest pit for a thousand years
better yet for ever ..
that would be only just recompense for such dastardly a deed
and coming from the king's own honourguard !
unheard of ..

the king arrived
silence pervaded the court

the king's new honourguard were in array
several mighty men
some still bearing the visible wounds of the battle
using a sword for support
or the shoulder of a fellow honourguard ..

finally the king spoke
he spoke to the dishonoured in a calm measured voice

       more to come ..

thanks ... giving ...

i sit here in my fav coffee shop
my mug  emptied
not blogging ..

until an ambulance drove by a minute ago

and i thought ..
what am i thankful for
besides not being the 911 caller .. .. .

besides being able to buy my coffee
and type on my laptop ..
i'm clothed and warm and have a meal for later
i'll sleep under a roof tonight
i am in reasonably good health for a person of my Earth-tenure

i have 2 invitations for a thanksgiving meal

now farther afield ..
i have a church family
and a house family
and a ' real ' family with children of my own who love me
and a stillliving mum who is huge support

i have friends
not many
but good ones

i have a life ahead of me as far as i can see
and a purpose for that life

i have a dogfriend who is the most bestest friend ever
he's a gift

i am privileged to live in a reasonably warm climate
and to be among people who are generally the chillest folk

i live in a ' free ' country
i can move around
speak my mind
   or write it
be part of church
read my bible
stay out late
if i want

selah ..~

and then there's Jesus ..

he walks with me
and talks with me
and tells me i am his own
when i come to the garden
alone
to find him
to hear his voice falling on my ear

or not ..

maybe i'm riding my bike
or walking with my dogbuddy
or cleaning something
or sitting somewhere
or prepping to sleep ..
and he's there
on my mind
in my mind

he's my friend
my confidant ..
i tell him stuff noone else knows
and he listens to me ..
he listens

and i open up
blurt
vent
share
beg

he hears

selah ..~

i'm thankful today
there is much to be thankful for in my life
plenty ..

i have plenty ..

mine now is to share it
to give it
away
to those who have not
in Jesus' name
for God's sake

because there are those who are suffering
and have no thanksgiving plans
no meal
no table to sit at with family and friends

only lonely
cold
hungry


thanks be to God
i have
to share

thanks, God


shalom

post script to all are welcome .. none are excluded .. come to the table

in my recent post
i hit Judas ..

we all do
after all, he's the one ..

a thought ..
Jesus washed Peter's feet too ..
but somehow we get past him
after all
that's peter
one of the 3 inner circle
' 1st pope '
author of new testament letters

but he betrayed Jesus, ya  ?

and then there's this ..
 Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written,
“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

all  ?
all of them ran away  ?
deserted
left Jesus alone to deal with the most significant event ever in human history ..
their rabbi
their master
John  ?
James  ?
. . .  . ... .

would you and i have been any different  ?

probably not ..

they all betrayed him

we all betray him ..

and Jesus washed Peter's feet too
and all of their feet

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ 

Judas repented ..

Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he [Judas] departed; and he went and hanged himself.

who then do you think was the 'most' repentant
  ?   ?

Judas repented

have you
  ?   ? ?

peace

reset my mindset ... .

 

i read the headlines..

saw the rabbits having their fur pulled out while nailed to a board
   to be repeated when their fur regrew
the opening of a new domestic violence shelter
   where abused women can feel safe
the cry of the pope against the capitalistic mindset and the unfettered pursuit of profit
   at the cost of a steadily growing poor segment of the world's population
   while that denomination controls a massive portion of the world's wealth
the fotos of voodoo practitioners in haiti
   releasing control of their spirit to some higher powers ..
   thinking that some of us ' christians ' are not far removed
      whether it's drive for wealth or power under the guise of religion ..
         world systems under the control of the powers of darkness
   and some of us need to head more in that direction
      in the battle of our spirit vs. body
the fotos of female heroin addicts in vancouver
   tearing at my heart
the news of the madness in the Central African Republic
   4 1/2 million people in dire straits as civil war rolls on
the article that posits we could be growing the same housing bubble mess again
   and the unfettered lunacy that the love of money fosters
   at the expense of the underprivileged
   and the profit of the ' have's '
the cuts in food aid to the growing poor
   many of them children
   at a time when winter rolls in
one state's pledge to review over 6,000 unexamined child abuse cases
   God help us ...
the effect of increased methane on the atmosphere
   much apparently emitted from cattle in the southwest US
and the continued deforestation of this planet
   chasing that $ again
.. .. .  .   . . .       .

and methinks
this world is so broken
so damaged
so badly in need of a massive makeover ..

but
there are massive roadblocks
the greatest of which is
mindset/worldview/perspective ..

the powers that be
   (think money)
control the media
control the politics
   and the politicians
      at every level
and the politicians and the media
   and the banks and insurance companies and medical facilities and the entertainments industry
control us
through propaganda
readily disseminated through the media that pervades our homes
   from the time we awake till bedtime
virtually all day
every day

it's a sad sad catch22 ..
.. .. ... . .      .

a thought ..

restrict the media intrusion on your life
specify when and what you will allow yourself and your family to watch/play/surf
encourage reading
   without recourse to distracting surfing
engender people time
   shared moments with persons in your immediate environemt
      people you can be with and touch and sit at table with
         sharing a meal

lockdown this powerful influence on your worldview
or you join the madmad cattledrive into coocooland
where levis and lexus and leotards and linguini
rule your head
determine your consumption
and drive you down the moremoremore road of futility and vanity and waste
.. . . . .  ...... .    .

when all is said and all is done
and we look back on our lives
what can we say we have accomplished
to foster good
to encourage relationship
to build and not destroy
to provide a future for those behind
to open doors for homeless people
lay tables for the hungry
clothe the cold
bind up the wounds of the broken
father the orphan
embrace the abused
comfort the aged ..
... . .  . . .


wash the feet of people ..

people that God created
in his image and likeness
people he gave himself for
to redeem them from the very powers that underlie this wicked world system ..
the same one we foster by our lifestyles and mindsets and spending

... .

the Way of Jesus
is defined from the heart

it fosters renewal
breathes life and hope and peace
breeds freedom from this world system
gives life to the dying
calls for death to my self
   that i can live for others
encourages me to
         compassion
    empathy
                    sharing
              caring
giving
                 embrace
      acceptance
          loving        .... ..

all the while
looking for the image of God himself
in the face of each one

think on these things ..

selah ..~


shalom

all are welcome .. none are excluded .. come to the table

i live in new surroundings
and am blessed by being part of a church
where i can sense the reality of God among us
strong
like the smell of a dark coffee
or the smell of a rose when i stick my nose right in it
... . . .   .

that may well sound strange ..
i'm struggling for words to describe it

i've done church since before i was 10 years old
i've been an active member of a particular church since then
i've attended 2 christian universities
   briefly
both very Fundamentalist
the very heart of Fundamentalism

i've spent much of my life chasing after ' the church that Jesus built ' ..
i was positive i'd found it ..
i was wrong ..

(sorry for all the " i's " ; this one is very personal)

i've relinquished my association with the title/category ' protestant '
i've done the same with
' evangelical '
' fundamentalist '
' christian ' ..

                         just writing that is wild ..

i now classify myself as a follower of Jesus
a follower of the Way of Jesus
a disciple of Jesus

there is too much tiresome awful reprehensible damage attached to those titles ..
i want not to be associated with any of them

the local church i am now a part of has a name
but it doesn't matter

i find me in the midst of loving hearts
people that open themselves
in acceptance and embracing and ' all are welcome '
people that share
that care

and i am blessed

selah ..~

this is not to diss' the ones that went before ..
there is much i learned there
and there is much good there
but i found the system to be burdensome
They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders ..

selah ..~

there's a reason for that lead in
i carry a 'burden' of my own
a remnant of that system
and i find wonderful release
   almost indescribable
among the church i am now a part of ..
.. . . .. . . ...    .

after the music
after the word to the children
after the pastor leads the discussion
there is the circle
   a time of joining hands
   praising God for the things he has blessed us with
      as individuals
   praying to God for the things that concern us
      as individuals ..
it's a time of sharing ourselves with each other
as openly as we dare ..
after each share there is this comment/response
   " God is good "
   " all the time " ..
it just feels so right ..

and then ..
there is the ' Lord's table "
and that is the point of this post ..
   finally . ... .

selah ..~

there are 2 characteristics of fundamentalism that bother me
militant
separatist
..

this church stands in opposition to both
not militantly
but practically
as part of its lifestyle
.... . ...... ..... .

standing before the bread and the wine
the pastor leads in with some thoughtful thoughts ..
i wish i had recorded them all ..
they astound me in their simplicity acceptance grace love ..
i am absolutely blessed
i am blessed

and by the time he reaches for the loaf to break it
i am already ready
open
blessed to be a part
blessed to be privileged by Jesus to share
in unity
as one Body
and
all
are
welcome

" come home "
" come to the table "
" all are welcome "

and i am blown away

all my burdens are released
they lie somewhere behind me on the floor in some dark corner
and i am free
released
open
as one
with the others
with Jesus
with God
as one

i am at rest ..

every one of the 6 times
i have been blessed
and this blessedness will not leave me
it hangs around
it envelopes me
it embraces me
... ... . . .

i see all
as in every one
   rich and poor
   housed and homeless
   youth and aged
   in health and unwell
   white and coloured
all
approach ..
" come to the table; all are welcome " ..
and the ladies offer the bread
" this is the body of the Lord, broken for you "
and the ' wine '
" this is the blood of the Lord, shed for you, for the remission of sin "
and i am humbled
at rest
unburdened
privileged
blessed ..

i walk to the front to a plate of candles
and light one
sometimes replace it
sometimes not
   i take it with me to the floor
   sit
   stare at the flame
   pray
   facing the table of candles and the glass cross ..

blessed

i am blessed ..
thanks be to God ..

selah ..~

so why is this such a huge deal to me  ?

They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders ..
... .

i have spent much of my life in theological think

my previous experiences with the Lord's supper
for the most part
left me melancholy

i am an introvert
quite introspective
when you throw stuff out there
i stand up to get hit
square in the face ...
i take these things very seriously

exclusion
at the Lord's table
takes 2 forms
first - if you're not a 'christian'
second - if you have ' unconfessed sin in your life '

exclusion
separatist
cutoff
left out
" you are not allowed " ..

" you are not welcome here "

selah ..~

i've searched scripture
poured over it
reviewed the passages every time i sit at Lord's Supper
and for the life of me i cannot find the grounds for exclusion

in fact
the whole point of the ordinance
is unity
absolutely
oneness

i have declined many times
i have walked out many times
head hung
in shame

i would not allow my self to join in ..
i was unworthy

and whenever i did participate
there was this nagging guilt hanging around
like some ill smell in the air ..
i was unworthy
...

tell me
have you ever thought of the truth
that Jesus sat there and enjoyed a meal
his last supper with his disciples ..
and Judas was there
the man who would betray him ..
and he offered his betrayer the bread and the cup
and he did it with love overflowing
poring out of that very bread and wine ..

in fact
every retelling of the occurrence
leads in with his betrayal ...

wild, that ..

On the night he was betrayed the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."
   apostle paul's version ..
the gospels relate it in similar fashion
and having said that
he offers it to Judas ..

and Jesus washed Judas' feet to boot ...

selah ..~

They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders ..

selah ..~

my friend
whoever you are
wherever you are

Jesus loves you
tremendously
you are the apple of his heart
he has gone the distance for you
done deal

step up to the table
burdens back there
conscience freed
for Jesus has done the deed
redeemed mankind from the curse
opened the doors for all to come in

and you my friend
are welcome

come to the table

in Jesus' name


shalom

angry ..

i began this post 2 weeks ago ..
i paused it because i was really pissed off
and decided writing it out of that frame of mind would do no good..
i'm back ..
... . .. . ... .. . . .    .

and now i'm angry ..
   at least i was 2 days ago when i started this
   i decided not to post it yesterday ... the Lord's day

a good and faithful loving friend told me today i need to be less angry

more peaceful and pleasant

especially when it comes to my blogging which people may well misinterpret ...

i hope they don't misinterpret

i hope they get that i am angry

Jesus got angry
very angry
at the religious leadership for misleading his people
and misrepresenting their God ..
and since i'm looking to be Jesus .. . .. .. .  .
i'm angry

today i attended a symposium on the homeless

in the context of a world vision for 

   in their words

a world that works for everyone: a socially just, environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilled human presence on this planet — a New Dream for humanity. ..

i get that

i think it's good stuff

in fact it sounds quite like what 'christianity' should be fostering  ?

there's this almost in-credible passage of Scripture ..
" They seek Me day after day and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God. "

“Why have we fasted, but You have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but You haven’t noticed!”

“Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.
You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.
Will the fast I choose be like this - a day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?
Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. " ..
so says God ..
Creator God

... . . . .      .

i saw the videos

listened to the speakers

joined in the smallgroup conversation

even joined the pauses for deepbreathing and stillness and refection ...

i went the whole 9 yards ..

part 1 - what's the situation
   it's horrible  !
   much of the damage irrecoverable

part 2 - how'd we get here in this mess
   money money money  !
      in Biblical terminology ' the love of money '

part 3 - beginning the ' spiritual ' thingy ...

   the part where i am the earth

   i am destroying my self when i diss' the earth

   and the lead-in to that

      probably indiscernible to most there

   where the act of creation gets diss'ed

   and evolution is espoused
      even apart from Creator God ..

   and the stupid ' christian ' mess we christians created gets to be the bouncing ball ...  !

and i got upset .. . .. . ..     .

how on earth could we have allowed that to happen ? ?  !

so that industrialization takes the brunt of the blame

   and rightly so

   along with the white ' race ' ..

and that's where the connection lies ..

the ' white religion ' of christianity

is wrapped tightly around empire ..

   specifically the European/British/American empires

and the white man's god is seen as the perpetrator and enabler 

   of oppression and Earthrape ..
?  ?
?

i'm angry   !  !

and christianity is to bear some blame

hands down

" so here

let's take a minute to pause

and take a deep breath

iiiiinnnnnn ..

oooooouut ..

and reflect on what we've heard

and how we feel about it "

   so went the facilitator ...

and probably a good practice at this point ...

'cause i'm angry

selah ..~

how could we have allowed Jesus to be coopted 

   into the destruction of the very Earth we were made responsible for  ..  ?

we are the overseers

and we allow ourselves to be sucked into it's enslavement

under the christian guise that the earth was put here for our use

for our utility ..

and we get to
strip it

mine it

fish it

cut it down

fill the air with destructive gases

frack it for natural gas

drill it for oil 

and peddle all that for profit

at the cost of not only the damage to the ecosystem

but the damage to the indigenous cultures in those places

and the damage to humanity ..

the number of Godmade species that have become extinct in recent decades is mindboggling ..

the number of species that are well on the way to becoming extinct is mindboggling ..

90% of large ocean fish are gone as 1 example

and lions and tigers fall in the same bucket
the black rhino

and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on ..  . . .
it's madness  !

sick

sick  !  !  !

all of creation is sick

and i know why ..

but

what gets my goat .. .

i remember clearly

when the environmental movement was gaining notoriety
   (back before Al Gore days)

being told from pulpit and christian literature

that, in effect, the world was here for mankind's use ..

that one day Jesus was coming back to take us out of the Earth

away

and he would destroy the earth

so we need to be focusing on ....

evangelization

= converting the world to that same 'white man's religion' ..
conservationist thinking was not for us
just a lot of people freaking out
it's all going to be redone anyway ..
   and some of that exists to this very day  !

i remember that
it obviously put wasn't in those terms
but i remember ..

selah ..~

i'm angry ..

because

we
   as in ' us '

have 

injured the cause of Messsiah Jesus

who will one day reclaim the earth

refurbish it

release creation from it's slavery to death and destruction

repopulate the earth

and himself live here

on Earth

this Earth

the very one he created in the first place
in harmony with each other
and with nature ..

... creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 
For the creation was subjected to frustration - not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it - in the hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay 
and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ..
apostle paul ..

thank God we are new creations in Messiah Jesus

but the rest of creation too will undergo recreation

when Messiah Jesus completes his ministry of reconciliation

when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 
For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet ..

christianity has been complicit in the uncreation of creation

and we stand dark ..

dumbstruck

answerless

mouths shut

under the glare of Creator Jesus

it was all his creation
all of it
and it was good
and we
   as in us
were charged with the oversight

we are to blame

sick

sick

selah ..~

i've ranted and i've raved

because we have given the Satan (read Accuser)

a major whip

with which to strip the flesh off Messiah's back

under the guise of environmentalism

and spiritism

and universalism

and shamanism

and ancestralism

and mother earth ...

when we were the designated authority all along
the rightful God-given authority to administer justice over all his creation ..

and we have so failed
and we have so disgraced the holy name of Creator God
   under his own banner, mind you
that we ourselves are, of all men,
to be considered totally unworthy to bear the name of Messiah Jesus

hear that
whoever had ears to hear ..

sound harsh  ?
too rough  ?

i'm angry that we 'christians'

are the very reason

people

don't

want

CHRISTianity ...

while we meet today in our mutimillionUS$ temples
with all the lights and instrumentation
all the flash and flare
glitter and glare
all the showmanship
to impress people
with us
under the name of Jesus ..

we smell
we stink
and real people admit it ..
people who look on from the outside
smell the stink
and it is as much a stink to them
as it is
to
God
himself ..

go back and read the Isaiah 58 passage above ..

sick

sick

sick

selah ..~

   Lord God
creator of heaven and earth
and of all that in them dwells ..
   may your name be hallowed ..
i humbly ask your forgiveness
in the name of Jesus
for the utter madness we have entertained
for shirking the responsibility and authority you gave us in the Earth
for shuffling that authority off to evil and wicked mankind
who for worldly gain have raped this planet
leaving it poor
virtually destitute
damaged almost beyond repair
in drastic condition ..
and for being complicit in it all
even allowing the world to see it as associated with you
under the name of CHRISTianity....... .. ..  .. .. .  !

we deserve nothing less than punishment
severe punishment
for our negligence

but ..
we humbly ask your forgiveness

help us to be repentant
to turn around and be frontrunners in the movement to reclaim
to undo what can be undone ..
to show the nations that your creation is good
for you made it so ..
to honour you among mankind
by exerting ourselves in the engagement of the wicked powers that underlie the money worshippers ..
to help those people who have been impoverished
and driven out of their homes and their homelands
and killed
for the sake of wealth
and power
and the love of money ..

forgive us our mighty trespasses
against your earth
and against humanity

against you

and help us to diss' the things we have been taught
even taught in your name ..
the things that do injustice to your creation
and injustice to your humanity

forgive us

we have sinned
dreadfully
against our neighbour
and against you

change us
as we seek to be changed

in Jesus' name


shalom

you gotta see this ..

this is my post this morning

there is nothing better to post ...
period
Jesus shines all through this
the kingdom rocks all through this

grab a couple tissues
plug in your earbuds
dwell ..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-eicher/i-had-critics-when-i-adopted-a-son-with-down-syndrome-but-my-daughter-wasnt-one-of-them_b_4303976.html

humbleness .. .. .

i've probably said something on this topic before ..
i'm too lazy to look back through the posts
and the titles don't describe the content in detail ..

but .. i been thinkin' ..

have this thing going on in my life
and it has to do with
pride and humility
personality, both mine and other types
lifestyle
doctrine and dogma
early christianity
whatamidoingwithmylife
priorities and nonessentials and stuff to let go of
 ... ..  .. .

a whole bunch of stuff
all dovetailing into this

i post 'humility' as a title because
at the end of the day
i think everything on the table
   all those things i listed
needs to be looked at under that glass
   at least for me it does ..

when you're thinking 'christianity'
  to use a very broad term
and where you as a christian fit in
   broadly speaking
and what your life should be like
   to reflect the kind of life Jesus wants for us
   how he wants us to live every day ..
   .... .
that's a really broad way of looking at it ..
and that's good
because when i can get out from under
and look down on my life
kindof in an 'objective' way
   sorta like if it wasn't me looking at me
then i might be able to see my self from a removed position
   at arm's length
and judge better
   judge my self better
i see the broad sweep of my life
rather than seeing the brush strokes
....  .. . ..   .

and i see me needing to
love
   more than anything

and i see me needing to
serve
and to give my self
   wholeheartedly unreservedly
to the cause Jesus championed ..
reconciliation ..
   to put it in broad terms

= servant ..

that reconciliation
is most tangible
when i seek to see God's will done on Earth as it is done in Heaven
and move my self in that direction

that will is most clearly and vibrantly seen
in the life of Jesus
God among us
with us
   Immanu-el
. .. . ....    .

so i am to move my self in line with that
adjust me to fit in that broad scope of life
and check Jesus for his example ...
i am his disciple

from there
i see me serving
particularly the hurting
   in whatever form
looking for healing and reconciliation for them ..

and in the doing of that
i begin to find my self

selah ..~

behind that service
i need to be living a lifestyle that allows for that
   that fosters that
   that makes everything else secondary

that lifestyle should fire my service
for the kingdom of God

so that i should be spendthrift
waste less
consume less
live simpler
focus on needs and unfocus on wants
   as in mine
provide leftovers for me to be able to share
   as in with others
drown out the idols of possessions and worldy comfort
and take that slack up with helping the hurting in their needs
out of their hurts
into the circle of reconciliation
in the name of Jesus
for the glory of God
.. . . . . .      .

that's tough stuff
for a westerner
for a person in the top 10% of the planet's wealthy ..
that calls for a lot of unmaking me ..
a lot

selah ..~

there's where the humility thingy comes in ..
in order for this broad-brush philosophy of life to overtake me
i got to start with
undoing my self ..

from my understanding of humility
that involves bringing my self into reality
a right estimation of who i am
   with all my characteristics
      my talents
      my spiritual gifts
      my weaknesses
      my failures
      my sin(s)
   lying naked before me
and understanding that
that is me
that right there
is
me
...

seeing me lying there
naked
i own that
and then i take that me
and lay me out before God
in the face of Jesus my master-teacher
and ask for reconciliation
for renewal
for energy ..

point being
if i am to be used for the kingdom
i don't want the pretence
i don't want the pharisee
i don't want the facade

i want
me ..

so that me becomes a changed me
in the face of Jesus
for the kingdom
and the glory of God
so that i
   recreated
humbly acknowledge me
and am in a position to be used
by God
in spreading his love to others

a loooong way around to saying this ..
i am me
i need to see me and know me and acknowledge me
= humility

only then can Jesus change me
recreate
only then do i allow Jesus to shine through me
and i acknowledge new me as i am in reality
= humilty

i'm no good to anyone
particularly the hurting
if i am not me
the real me ..
even broken me

selah ..~

in that vein ..

i need to create alonetime
and this is critical ..
it's not an option
it's a precondition ..

selah ..~

time for centreing
time for re-creation
time for reflection
for relaxation
for zoning out the world
   and melting into my zone
time for meditation
   on me
   on God
   on balance
   on being real
time for allowing God in
   to me
to change me
undo me
chisel
cut out
mend
fix
tweak me
renew me
inspire
energize
illuminate me ...

if i do not do this
regularly
i place at risk the very me that God wants to use
for reconciliation
and for the progressive advancement of his kingdom in the Earth

get that
let that simmer there for a minute ..

selah ..~

to not
is a diss' to humilty
damage to the kingdom
injury to the Body of Messiah

fail

and that is my point
precisely my point

i can posture
and postulate
pose
and position myself ..
and all that is a waste of time
a waste of energy
and very unhumble

and it's a tug on the guilt line
for me to think i'm being selfish in aloneness
to feel i'm fostering my independence at the expense of 'community'
to call me out for it
as if i'm being me-ish
   vain
   dissin' Jesus
   undervaluing others
   hurting the Body
not committed ..
in fact
it's diametrically opposed ..

selah ..~

in order for me to be the little-finger God designs for me to be
   in the Body
      or the ear
      or the nose
i need to be healthy
as in shalom

the point of the Body
is to be in shalom
all its constituent parts healthy and in sync
working efficiently and effectively
as a whole
to strengthen
to mature the whole Body
growing up into the Head of the Body
who is Messiah Jesus

if i am broken (little-finger)
or have wax in my ear
or am congested
then i am actually holding the body back
being a draw on the resources
moving the Body's attention away from its intentional direction ..

i must be humbly inzone
settled in my self
centred in master Jesus
balanced
in order for me to be the Body part i am gifted to be
contributing to the shalom of the Body
moving the Body into wholeness and fullness
so the Body can do Jesus' bidding in the Earth

anything else is fail, mate

that is the Way
of following the greatest commandments
   in which all the Law and the Prophets are contained .. all ..
      - love the Lord your God
            with all your heart soul mind strength
      - love your neighbour
            as much as you love yourself

see the tie-in  ?
the importance of loving yourself in balance  ?
   for the less you love yourself the less you are able to love your neighbour ..
you lower the standard

you simply can't love people until you love yourself
for you, my friend, are created in the image and likeness of God himself ..

get that ..

that's my take on being humble
a realistic understanding and acknowledgement of who i am
looking to be mastered by Jesus
matured by Jesus as part of the Body
in the Body
for the community-at-large ..
that is the priority of the Church of Messiah Jesus



and on a bodypart level
that requires aloneness
   solitude
regularly
so i can
                       clarify
   simplify
              balance
centre

don't undo you ..
humble you

for Jesus' sake
for the glory of God


shalom

post-postscript to my last post .. .

i been thinking ..
i wrote this 'critique' on a book

today a workmate and i were talking
and we were reminded of a comment in Scripture .. .
Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 
For with the judgement you make 
   you will be judged, 
and the measure you give 
   will be the measure you get. 

and i remembered another conversation
when another friend told me
when we judge
we raise the standard of the judgement we receive ..
very interesting thought methinks ..
the harsher i judge someone
the harsher my judgement will be
i keep raising the bar of my own judgement

i'm on this chageoflife journey
and the codewords are like
grace
     gracious
  joy
         love
peace
      communicate
   humility
              listen first
    loving
  patience
         kindness
    goodness (1 translation says 'generosity')
  lovely
                self-control or moderation
  faithful
                      love ..

included in there are the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5)
and the prelude goes like this, in part
 .. you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only, don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, rather serve one another through love. 
For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out ! or you will be consumed by one another.
I say then, walk in the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit desires what is against the flesh; they are opposed to each other ..

so when i go around bashing this guy
   because i disagree (strongly) with him on certain (key) issues ...
i ask my self
" self, am i fleshing or spiriting  ? "

am i loving  ?
         caring  ?
   being gracious  ?
listening  ?
               being patient
   communicating  ?
        showing kindness  ?
being humble  ?
  and so on  ?  ?

ahhhmmmmmmm  ,.....
no

so then
i was too harsh with the gentleman
my brother
who is looking to see the church of Jesus reformatted
to focus on faith as a do-word
rather than a name for believing stuff
   and then going about our business as if nothing has changed
      because nothing had
and focus on Jesus as example
rather than only a person to adore and worship
   and hold up as some out-of-this-world impossible standard
   that we cannot ever achieve
pieinthesky christianity that changes me not
rather than disciple/follower/dowhathedoes kinda thing ..

the man's got a point ..
and as much as i disagree with some of his points in making his point
i need to give him room to speak
and i need to be listening

not that i've changed my thinking on my thinking
   yet
it's simply that
for the body of Jesus in the Earth to move ahead
undo the mess it has caused
and start doing Jesus
we have to talk
be willing to listen
communicate
humbly ..
'cause i ain't God

so i'll listen to the dude

something good may well rub off on me
and i need all the somethings good i can get

something about iron sharpening iron
kindathingy


shalom

too far east is .... lost ..

so i'm reading this book i found on a friend's shelf
the title got me ...
anytime you got thoughts on reformatting the church
undoing it
redoing
rethinking
going back to the basics to see what Jesus meant
   when he said "i will build my church' ..
i'm checkin' you
'cause you're in my zone ..

so i read the introduction
and i was stoked

and then i wanted to highlight and mark up my friend's book
nono
so i bought it for my kindle

and i read

as i read i began to question the wisdom of spending that $10

i mean ..
this dude really gets my goat ..
really

i'll offer just a few of his comments ..
he does not believe in the virgin birth
the miracles recorded in NT
the blood atonement ' as the foreordained mission of Jesus '
" a whole generation has been asked to accept a false dichotomy.
   Either you believe that Jesus is God, or you don't-
   therefore either you're a christian or you're not. "
...
the gentleman also consioders that what we have as recorded scripture
is a politically/religiously motivated document
amended over time by one or the other to postulate and propagandize
and takes off on this exercise of testing doctrine
   against the 'red' text of the Bible
   the words attributed to Jesus
relegating everything else = non-Jesus, to tradition, mostly oral, passed down .... ..
...

and these are just a few of the things i just now looked up
   that bother me with this dude
there are many more
and i ask myself why am i reading this
and think of putting it down ..
but i think i'll finish it
(i've put like 5 or 6 other books on hold to do it)

why?
in days gone by i would have slam dunked this book in the nearest garbage can
rueing the waste of my $10
but
i'm trying to be ... different
i'm trying to allow other people to speak
even ones i disagree with on very core issues

i'll hear this guy out..

but lemme say this ..
when you start challenging the person of God in the face of Jesus
when you challenge Jesus as God in person
the atonement as a critical aspect of his mission to humanity
the scriptures as the preserved words of God
place Paul on some other level
   as if what he said under inspiration of God is of less value than the gospels
and relegate the gospels to the best memory
   the authors (whoever they were..) had when they wrote
and diss the Scriptures through redaction and editing and political motivations ...
and on and on
   too much for me to handle here right now ..
when you do these things
you lose me
big time

i become an observer of your theology
and will not climb on to your wagon
i will choose the things you say that resonate with Jesus and the Scriptures
and diss the rest
just so ...

the motivation of the author
to undo the churchevil foisted on humanity in the name of God
and to look to redo the church and its mission in the Earth today
is admirable

but what he asks of me in the doing of it
is nothing less than asking me to undo my faith
undo my 40-something-years of reading Scripture
undo the basic fundamental core of who i am
and i cannot do that
i will not

not to say i'm some expert
not to say i know it all
not to say i am God

but i have learned
the hard way, mind you
that God magnifies his words above his very name
i believe some of those words to be faithfully recorded in the Scriptures
and to be faithfully preserved
   by God himself
i believe Jesus to be the human incarnation of God himself
I believe Jesus to be the man that sits today at God's right hand
waiting until all authority in the universe is put under him
and that he will then put all that under God
and will put himself under God
so that God may be all in all ...
reconciliation completed

i hear what you're sayin' man
but i hear God
and his take on it takes priority over your take on it

so while i admire your motivations
i diss your thinkology and your methodolgy

i read you
trying to keep an open mind
but sad
sad that you disrespect God
and run so readily and repeatedly to the refuge of John Dominic Crossan and the like

my God
thrives in Jesus
   my master
   rabbi/teacher
   leader
   saviour
   redeemer
   motivation for change
   motivation for life
   ...
my reason for being

i admire your drive to move out of doctrinal statements and a creedal-focused chruchlife
   that undermines the work and example of the man of galilee
but balance is critical
and context is critical
you cannot magnify Jesus as example
while minimizing him as God

what you're doing is heading way too far east
and losing me in the process ...

i rest

shalom
        =
          clarify
             simplify
                balance
                   centre

postscript :-
i found this comment by Douglas Moo
on the new book by NT Wright
it's pertinent ..
although the author under review doesn't see himself as a theologian/academic ..
still fits, methinks
" The astonishing scope of this work, as Wright “locates” Paul’s theology within his first-century world, is a breath of fresh air in an environment in which 
academics learn more and more about less and less—until they know everything about nothing. "