Dying Daily

Babies hear their 
Daddy's heartbeats

Yet another December 25th
Dying daily while denying deity. Yesterday marked yet another December 25th, the designated birthdate of the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us. I look out at a clear cold winter blue sky, and see that this day too, is marked as God's, as each day is. I don't need to look at a calendar to see that today belongs to Him. In a few man days, I will be fifty-one years old. I typed that shaking my head because I am a baby in Gods eyes, and approaching the elderly mark in human sight. Which brings me to my topic, that we are daily dying: just what you wanted to read, am I right dear reader?

Your time is short
You live, you die, these are the stark realities that we come up against when we look in the mirror, and somehow see the finite reflected in our own eyes. You know, that part of you that recognizes that your time is short and that it, time that is, flies. Consider this: Time is running out and yet, it stops for no one. Meaning tick tock goes your clock dear reader, and you can see it, making its undeniable mark on your features, your body, your energy, your bones and joints. 

I morbidly tell you that you are time stamped and have an expiry date, just like the cream you bought for your coffee the other day. Does this mean you use all of the cream in one cup for fear of it going bad before you next need it? Well, perhaps it does. Perhaps you had better consume all immediately, just in case there is no more, and things go sour before you get the chance to really enjoy yourself. Live for today, consume what you have because tomorrow may never come! Indeed, you are rightly thinking if you agree to the last four words in the previous sentence. Tomorrow, dear reader, may never come, for you: You truly are time stamped you know. Your birth and death dates were chosen prior to your conscious ability to recognize life and death ness; prior to your decisions to have your own child(ren), prior to you choosing whether or not you wanted to recognize deity, God as the source of all life and the holder of the keys of death.

Consumption
We consume because we have this sense that time is running out, don't we? We resent aging because we have a sense of our own mortality, isn't that right? We do want to control our own destiny because we know, deep down in our DNA encoded souls, that we do not have a say in our own existence, other than to choose what we do with ourselves while we have breath, and that one day, there will be a recall from whence we came. 

No command and control centre except for choice. The great lie is that your choices, my choices, have no impact on our eternity. The lie is that the here and now is to be consumed to the point of vomiting because this is all there is. This, dear one, is not all there is, and it is a grave error in judgement on our part when we believe otherwise, denying both deity and the truth, that we have never had a say in our own existence. In fact, today might be the day you or I find out for sure what really is and Who is in charge.

Yesterday
Yesterday, you may have celebrated a holiday, but I sure do hope this is not the case. I hope you celebrated the birth of the Saviour, you know, that baby guy who came to grow into a man and give His life up for you and me on a tree. We hang ornaments on trees: Jesus Christ was no ornament, He was the quintessential sacrifice and He marks time, including yours and mine, whether or not we deny Him as deity. 

Today can be the first day of the rest of your life, a new beginning, no matter your earthly chronological age. Youth is in the eye of the beholder. God sees you as his child, why not call Him your Dad? He is patiently waiting for your return.

Your curfew is up 

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is defined as: a mission to obtain information by visual observation or other detection methods, about the activities and resources of an enemy or potential enemy, or about the meteorologic, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area.

Today I had to do some recon and I laugh as I type this because it sounds so secretive and dramatic. I realized that the information I have received, and my reactions and responses to the information, were incongruent with the reactions and responses of others, which made me wonder, who is right and if they, are right, how can I be so off base? How does this happen? 

So I looked again to observe, to see if I could detect an "enemy or potential enemy" hidden in the hills and valleys of relationship. It didn't take me long to see, that there was something lurking in the shadows, something sinister that presented itself as a minor mis-communique but really, it was intended to rankle!

Disbelief, unbelief, over-belief?
I had a discussion with an atheist recently, and I can't help recalling his explanations for our existence; the magical thinking required to accept that nature just does what it does, and that feelings are perceptions that can be chosen and blah blah blah. 

The atheist looked me right in the eye, with condescending confidence, that he quickly covered, shortly after making this statement: 

The burden of proof is really on you Linda

I laugh now, because at the time, my jaw had dropped in dismayed disbelief, at the arrogance of the suggestion that either of us, could possibly prove or disprove the existence of God! I read recently this amazing line: 

We are all just seconds away from rigour mortis (if God chooses dear reader, He can snuff us out in an instant, no questions asked!)

Oh little little man, how you dare to test Gods patience! Now, here, at this moment in time, call me arrogant too. Tell me that I am condescending and cocky, and overly confident, and perhaps even contentious. 

Purrrhaps

Perhaps I am over the top in my beliefs, and they are out of synch and time with the truth. Perhaps an atheist has it right, and I am simply a fool, off base and disconnected from re a l i t y? 

Purrrhaps, said the cat to the mouse... 

Or purrrhaps I see what is really going on? 

Perhaps I see that someone, many someones, are being deceived by a treacherous liar, who whispers don't believe that nonsense about God, you have all the answers. Don't let some Bible thumper get away, without a good thrashing about how ridiculous their beliefs are. 

And the beat goes on...

This Christmas Eve
I attended mass this evening at a gorgeous Cathedral with my mom, a friend, and thousands of Catholics. The message from the priest was evangelical, the first of its kind for me to hear in this place of worship. He spoke about knowing Jesus Christ, and sharing the saving grace knowledge that we are sinners and we all, need a Saviour. 

So tonight, as suggested by this evangelist, I tell you that a child was born to a virgin thousands of years ago, celebrated annually on Christmas day, and for weeks prior to the established date. A host of heavenly angels sang Him into humanity, and He is heralded as the King of kings, Lord of lords, incarnate Son of God. 

You go to bed tonight anticipating something spectacular, with or without being convinced of Who he is... no one can, convince you dear reader. I cannot prove He is who He said He is and even if I could, would you believe, would you?

What child is this... this, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing. You know the song, will you sing it this Christmas dear one, knowing He came, for you?

Wise Beyond Experience

Fangs show

Emotional immaturity is a real thing, wouldn't you agree? It shows up when we make decisions rashly, out of reaction to a perceived slight; when our ego and pride are bruised at the thought of rejection. This is when fangs show and claws extend, with offensive attack being imminent. 

When I walk my dog, and he senses another dog close by, the hair along his spine, although very short naturally, rises up, razor back style, like a mohawk. His lips curl back, with snorts, and displays of readiness for battle. 

Damn it dear reader, we react similarly, and this is my point: behaviour like this is damnable, because it threatens relationship. While it may appear that we are defending ourselves from the threat of another, who is potentially going to wound us, what it really does is devastate relationship, and prohibit connectivity. It is a human relations penalty box, and the one who has behaved rashly must come to grips and terms with themselves and ask, what have I done?

Judgemental

If it sounds as though I am being judgmental, then let's get clear here and now, I am! Like a judge sitting in a courtroom looking down my nose, I point my finger at the culprit and say You, human, you know better!

In the scene, I also play the would be innocent accused Who, me? Are you pointing at me? your honour. I am clearly innocent! Why, if you take a close look at the situation, you will see that I am justified in all I have said and done; after all, I have been misused. If I do not defend myself then I ask, who will?" 

Back in my high seat, I shake my head at what I am hearing, and with a gentle voice I implore This is not what I have taught you. This is something you have learned. It is not from me. It came from another. You know better!

Paused, I am paused and pondering. How do I answer now? Something inside of me hears the echo you know better, and my mind searches for the better, and wonders what the better is, and where to find it, because the judge in me is right, I know better. I do: I know better. 

In the searching there is a locating and softening. The better has me humbly crumbling, sobbing in submission. Kindness and mercy is the better. Love in the face of threat, destroys all division, and I am kneeling now before the real Judge, The One that calls me His, The One that says the better way is My Way. He reminds me, My wisdom reaches beyond your experience, and I will defend you. I am faithful: in fact, I call you to be wise beyond your experience too. I give to you freely all that I have. I gave you the best of Me in my Son, so that the better is always available, always yours for the asking and having. 

Look to Him 

Emotional Maturity

Will you agree here and now with me dear reader, that emotional maturity is an essential? 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20) 

This is a chastisement if you or I have been slow to listen, and quick with our words and anger, with a finger pointing at us, the accused. But in maturity, we see the rightness of this, we see that experience teaches the wisdom in this admonishment. 

It is, the better way, and it is a bypass of the snorting, snarling, hair raised, extended claws, and lip curled exposed fangs, that distort our natural beauty, and have us looking and sounding like wild dogs. It is a taming of the shrew in us, the us that wants to take care of number one, at the expense of caring for the two, the me and you in relationship. Life is pointless, absolutely useless and pointless, if all that matters is me. 

I am nothing without you, without them, without us. 

Advancement

My work, the word to me, is this: 

• Be quick to listen (I am working on this one, hard for me being a talker)
• Be slow to speak (quite the challenge when I have so many opinions and such a great urge to share them) and;
• Slow to anger (oh dear reader, this one has been a delight...I am not there yet, but I have traveled a thousand miles, from snarls and bared teeth, to the promised land of peace and a righteous life, the one God desires for me) 

Now your turn:

• What is your work? 
• What does your conscience tell you about you, and where emotional maturity may aid in relationship maintenance, growth and development? 
• You know better, don't you? 

On this, Christmas Eve, the better is before us. 

Look, dear one, to Him. 

Kinetic Brilliance Orchestrated

Orchestrated is defined as: to arrange or manipulate, especially by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering

Mesmerized by movement
A couple of weekends ago, I watched mesmerized. Young men sped across ice, chasing a puck, chasing each other; arms and legs driving them forward with sticks waving high in the air, only to see them spin and drive in the opposite direction, somehow colliding with one another and getting back up rapidly but mostly, not. Mostly, they did not collide at all. Mostly, it was a symphony of fluid movement where two or more bodies shaped and reshaped themselves without thought or conscious effort, around one another, according to some invisible property of protection. 

Kinetic Brilliance

I saw so many near touches, near brushes, and it was the slight space in-between that was marvellous to behold. Forgive me dear reader, but unless you witness the intensity of the players, their full throttle all in ness, and their seemingly orchestrated maneuvers that result in non collision, you simply will not understand! It is kinetic brilliance! Which has me wondering, about this kinetic brilliance that we must all experience without conscious thought or awareness...

Collide and glide
Sometimes we collide with one another, and quickly get back up, none the worst for wear, because it is all a part of the game. With speed, we quickly move past one another, and periodically we can get caught in someone else's high sticking, or our blades can entangle, taking us both down. But mostly, not. 

I mean think about your days dear reader! Think about how many times we experience kinetic brilliance, un colliding, non colliding, smoothly sailing past one another, spinning and sometimes racing ahead, side by side, chasing. 

We synchronize seemingly orchestrated maneuvers that we did not, could not plan: 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12)

Think of it dear reader, let it sink into your conscious awareness. He gives:

1 ... his angels charge over thee (note the plural here), 2 to keep thee in all thy ways, 3 they bear thee up in their hands, 4 lest thou dash thy foot against a stone What?

Wonder of wonders
Can you believe this wonder of wonders? Now that we are hear (no misspelling) together, listen! The invisible property of protection is given to us by God, who gives His children, that means you, your family members, even the people you are not too happy with at the moment, guardian angels! 

• Does this explain why you are still here, when you have had so many close calls? 
• Does this make sense in light of the number of times you have shaken your head realizing, things could have been far worse? 

You, my dear, have angels and they are on the job every minute of the day you breath in and breath out. You may not see them, but rest assured, they see you!

Kinetic Brilliance, consider it now. You move, I move, and with us, a crowd of invisible angelic guardians accompany us with every step and glide along the way. 

Isn't it exquisite? 

Isn't it though?

Wisdom from Heaven

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure; then peaceable, gentle, and easy to entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace (James 3:17-18)

Oh my oh my, where do we start with this one dear reader? My first impression, is that we would want nothing less than this, coming from heaven! The wisdom from above is, purity, peaceable, gentle, easy in the asking, full of mercy, good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy: and the fruit of righteousness: a harvest (reaping after the sowing) in peace, of those that make peace!

• Can you absorb all the goodness in these short, powerful sentences? 
• Can you imagine your life, if this becomes the life you live, and lead others to? 

I want this so very much, that I can hardly stay in my seat, let alone my skin

You are mad and this is justifiable
Let us start with what you want the most, from others. You read this correctly. What is the most appealing in the list above? To answer this question, you must look to the thorn in your heart, the piercing that you have felt there. So many body parts are being pierced these days, strange places that foreign objects should never be implanted: including your heart 

Look at your heart now. What have you allowed to puncture it, leaving a hole for hardware? Has someone 

• played dirty
• been inconsiderate
• overpowered and imposed upon you
• been ruthless
• stolen what you have made or earned
• played favourites
• lied to you
• been disruptive
• given you less than what you deserve
• wrongfully treated you

What really eats away at you, that other people do, or have done to you, that gets that ire of yours up?

Getting really clear
Heavens wisdom juxtaposed to mans wisdom 

His way verses our way:

Wisdom/Stupidity
Purity/Filth
Peaceful/Violent
Gentle/Vicious

Easy/Difficult

Considerate/Selfish
Submissive/Unyielding
Merciful/Punitive
Good fruit/Rotten fruit
Impartial/Favouritism
Honest/Hypocritical 
Peacemaker/Quarrelsome
Sower of peace/Spreader of poison
Harvest of Righteousness/Destroyed with Depravity

Points of pain
Welcome to the human race dear one. If you can point your finger at someone, and say you have treated me badly, you have wronged me, and this or that has hurt me: then you are me, you are your neighbour, you are your friends and relatives. 

You are one with everyone you have ever met in this regard. Our common experience of mistreatment by one another makes us relatable, with similar points of pain. But who, who I ask you, wants to live like this? Why would we want to stay here, with our own limited knowledge, with our limited understanding of how this world works, when we can tap into the wisdom, of heaven?

What we are capable of
We are capable. Wisdom says be slow to anger, be pure in thought and deed. Be peaceful and loving. Consider one another, and submit to goodness. Show mercy with compassion, and let what you produce be useful, wholesome for you and others. 

Be kind, to everyone, no matter their station in life, and be sincere, and honest. When you can, be peaceful and this will spread, it will grow to become a harvest where right wins and the many benefit. 

The opposites

If this could be yours, would you take it? It is an offering from heaven with built in promises. You already know, you have already experienced all of the opposites dear reader, haven't you?

We are capable of choosing Gods wisdom over our own, sowing His seeds rather than the devils destruction. This is black and white reality 

Wisdom that is from above... that sure does sound heavenly: let us choose it today, together

Holy Ghost Repair

Self annoyance
How annoyed with yourself are you? Do you have projects in mind, tasks to complete and for the life of you, you cannot seem to get up off the floor of feeling pathetic, to get the job started? I have joked that I am walking through molasses, but I realize now I have been lying down in the sticky stuff. But why, why, why?

Truth be told
Here is what I know about me, about you. It is very possible to get tasks done, to stay on the job, to complete, when there is no background noise. Here is an example of what I mean. You have friends over for a BBQ. It is Sunday night and just as everyone moves to take their seats with deliciously laden plates in hand, your neighbour two doors down starts their lawn mower. 

Some notice, some do not notice the intrusive sound, but everyone notices unconsciously, a shift, a distraction from enjoyment that hadn't been there moments before. It is the very same for all we do, is it not dear reader? When we are zinging along at a steady clip and checking off "done" on our list, it all feels great until the grinding to a halt hits. I would like to say I am super human in my focus but alas, this would be deceptive. I get distracted to the point of inability, to the point of ineptitude, and then as I melt into this truth I am forced to ask the question, but why?

Because I said so...
Because... Do you remember when you were a kid and you would ask your parents the why questions and they would say, because I said so? That answer never satisfies, does it? For those of us that need answers to understand why, there is a searching of hidden things, the unsearchable ways that we must transverse to get to clarity. 

Today I asked the why questions and then the how came with it:

• How is it that God can tolerate us with our self absorbed obnoxiously depraved ways? 
• Why would he put up with us for as long as He has? 
• Now this, what does He want from me, from you? 
• What projects does He have in mind, tasks He wants us to complete, to live a life that glorifies Him? 

In the asking, The Holy Spirit did a repair job on my soul. Instead of looking around, I looked up and thanked Him for the thousandth time for His mercy...

Moving out of molasses into understanding
So why have I been in molasses? Why did I need a soul repair? Here is why dear reader. I saw a video of a young girl who had been locked away in a room, held prisoner, and used twenty-five times daily, raped for money. 

I witnessed rescuers go into the darkness, because this brave young girl that was rescued, returned to the house of horrors to retrieve her friends, justice fighters smashing through ceilings to reveal hidden places where the girls were kept. 

My heart screams how can you stand it Lord, and how am I so blessed but more importantly, how can I look away now... how can I focus on my pretty life when I know that children are being violated?

God answers
Gods answer. I show you because I want you to see. I want you to see the pain and I want you to see the healing too. I want you to weep over oppression and celebrate when there is rescue. I want you to love me so much, that you must do something, you must not look and then walk away. I put the molasses under your feet so that you would stay and listen, not scurry away. I have work for you to do, My work, not yours. 

Will you do it?

After hearing
My answer? Yes Lord, because you said so... Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Now you, dear one. What secret room have you been hidden away in? There is One that sees you there, in the lonely seemingly forsaken darkness. He is rescue for the captive. He smashes through walls and ceilings, letting light in. 

His hand is extended to you, won't you take it now and climb out of the house of horrors? 

Which Way Do I Go?

Neither coming nor going

On the fence, the in-between, somewhere in the middle, neither coming nor going… 

I am in the midst of the midst, the no-turning-back zone that says tally ho, off you go!. Go on, take a step forward. Just  one  tiny  step  now, you can do it! Here here, let me count you in, one, two, three, GO. No? 

Ok how about this, three, two, one, BLASTOFF! Hey, you haven't moved an inch, what is going on? 

Okay okay, let's try this one, On your marks, get set… You get the picture: I am stuck, but why? 

I have a dream

I have a dream... these words came from Martin Luther King Jr. They resound and reverberate in the heart after entering the ears, don't they dear reader? 

I too have a dream, and on the clearest of days, I can see for miles into the dream, uninterrupted views of what will be. As I step into the dream, I pace myself, confidently putting one foot in front of the other, unimpeded. As I walk, I remember to look around me, appreciate the view, unobstructed. 

Uninterrupted, unimpeded, unobstructed... do you see them dear reader, the obstacles, the ones that I hint will get in the way, of the dream? Isn't life just like that? We want something but alas, as we move in the right direction, it is as though someone is grabbing the back of our traveling clothes, slowing our progress and keeping us on the spot. I am glancing backward, looking for the gripper, the one that has my shirt bunched in his hands, the one that says stay where you are, I will not let you go. 

Comic Relief

Today I was late for a meeting. Upon entering, I muttered an apology, and as I attempted to finish my grand entrance, my coat button hole closed itself over the door handle, stopping me in my tracks! I thought this was entertaining, and I laughed silently to myself. While still on the hook, so to speak, I looked up.  One other person in the room had noticed. We exchanged a grin and now freed from the door handle, I took my seat. 

The Meeting

The meeting, it started without me. The meeting, it carried on while I was stuck. The meeting, it completed and while I was a part of it, it wasn't about me, it was about something far bigger than me... 

I was and am, one of many participants in many meetings, happening all over the world, all of the time. These meetings go on no matter who is in attendance, reminding me, and you, that we matter as members of a whole, that nothing matters at all when it is strictly about one person, one individual. 

What is my point, you ask? It is this: uninterrupted, unimpeded, unobstructed is a solo life choice. This choice will keep you on track and your goal(s) will likely be met, your dreams coming true. But what will you miss? What is going on without you? If you are invited to a meeting and you do not show up, will others wonder about your absence and ask, where you are, or will they carry on, without you? 

Which way do I go

The road less travelled is one I have taken. Along the way, I have met a few weary wanders, people like me that take the straight and narrow path, sometimes lonely for souls of similar ilk. We start out fresh, ready to face the world, its obstacles, obstructions, forks in the road. Somewhere in the traveling, there is a tired that sets in, the pace slows, and this is when which way do I go begins, as a quiet whisper in the mind. 

• Which way do you go dear one, when you are stuck? 
• Where do you turn, sweet friend, when in every direction you spin, it seems you encounter a never ending circle, without entrance or exit? 
• How do you find your way out, when your feet refuse to co-operate, and it feels as though someone has a hold of your shirt and will not let you go? 
• How do you unhook yourself, free yourself from the doorknob that has you caught up? 

I have to laugh at myself right here, right now. This metaphor can go in so many wonderfully ridiculous directions, that it has the effect of breaking a stunned spell. 

Not Stuck

I am not stuck, I have only briefly, been slowed down 

I am not on the hook, I just got caught up for a short moment in time

I am not alone on the narrow path, I see many loved ones there with me, all of the time. 

The meeting started without me, but I was invited in, even when I arrived late... the dream, it didn't go away, I took my eyes off of it while I got all tripped up in myself.

I end now, with you. Do you, have a dream?

Toasting Etiquette

Teaching and learning how to toast

It was 2014, a celebration. Nearly thirty adults took their seats, gathered for a feast. Prior to beginning our meal, we received a lesson on toasting etiquette. When clinking glasses with our closest table mates, we were to take a spectacular moment and look each other in the eye. The eye contact was never cursory, it was meant to be a sort of soul brushing, a sweet exchange of seeing. If someone in the group was the subject of the toast, they were to graciously and humbly accept the acknowledgement, and not partake in the sipping. The memory of the lesson stays with me, and I realize how much I long for this type of interaction, the frozen seconds in time that so elegantly persuade us to take time with one another and eye gaze for the sake of connection. Cheers or good cheer is the hope and wish for another...

No eye contact

My mind goes to the opposites in life, the experiences that have me realize how derailed we have become with one another. Recent experiences of derailing came when words were spoken and eye contact could not, would not be made. Exchanges of verbal aggression, of condescension, and irritability-a forgetting that human connection is broken, when we deny the person in front of us, the grace that they are entitled to by virtue of being a human. 

Looking someone in the eye when venomous words come pouring out, is quite the task. Try it and you will quickly realize that there is always a looking away, either by the one who is being spoken to or the one thoughtlessly spouting off. Running off at the mouth is similar to waters that have been dammed up and have suddenly broken loose, destroying everything in its path; taking solid ground out from under the feet, and washing away relationships, arms and legs akimbo in the rush. It is a horror and an aberration to the soul. 

Christmas

Christ mas, being like Christ... it is time again dear reader, to look at ourselves. To look into our own eyes. This morning I passed a mirror and gave myself a grin. I laughed after this, because I realized that this is actually how I treat myself! I treat myself like I would anyone I happen to be passing: I say hello with smiling eyes and a welcoming smile. How about that? This realization made me very happy and it does still, as I type, because I know my own heart. I know that I have joy and that I am a joy activator. 

While it pains me to hear meanness, I do not look away from it, I subtly and sometimes not so subtly, make suggestions, write a blog, and even step in to defend others, when mean-spirited-no-eye-contact-cruelty threatens to destroy relationship. In toasting, there is a raising of a glass, in life, there is the raising of the bar and this, we must do, dear reader. 

Making eye contact

Someone must make eye contact with good and evil and call each what they really are: Someone did and soon we will celebrate a babe born to save the world from... ourselves. Etiquette is taught and the question is, are we willing to learn, be instructed, elevate, looking up into each others eyes to see the soul of another? 

When toasting this Christmas, will you raise your glass to the One from whom all good and perfect gifts come? Will you look into the eyes of the Saviour, and give Him his due? 

He will not look away from you, in fact, He has never taken His eyes off of you...

God Is Not For Sale

Buy one get one free?
Bogo is a popular selling feature. The buy one get one for free or half price marketing ploy, gives a shopper the feeling that they are getting out ahead, that they have wisely banked for themselves a heap oh cash, when at the till they are told how much money they have "saved". 

This has always entertained me, because we end up with two and three pairs of say, shoes, when all we really needed was one? We discount the markup that is build into each sale and somehow, retailers manage to thrive, despite their pretend deep commitment to keep prices low for consumer benefit. Marketing has hit the streets too, hasn't it dear reader? Many are vying for our attention, our buy in, and we have so many gods, I mean options, to choose from...

God for sale
How many Jehovah Witnesses have come to your door recently? How about street corner Christians with megaphones, as you enter your downtown mall? What about Islamics propagating their philosophy? Maybe you see some all in orange, peace and love universalists, that feel like a warm breeze on a balmy summer day. 

Many gods are being advertised in the market place, and it is reminiscent of days gone by, when humans, by the names of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle gathered to intellectualize God, life, our existence, and whether or not we are made for eternity. It is humanism. It is ancient, and so are the deep deceptions, the trickery that have us believing that we can buy and get something for free.

This is avarice advertised to, and capitalized upon. We are prey to the big bad wolf that does not care about you or me, or our children for that matter. He wants to keep us shopping and buying, distracted from truth and life abundant. Check your credit card balances (how many cards do you have dear reader?) and give yourself a consumer assessment report.

Paul nailed it, over two thousand years ago

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you (Acts 17:22-23)

Do you see dear reader, that this is not new: that we are recycling what has been recycled, since the dawn of man? That each of us are on this path, a road of discovery, and that we can push or pull at one another, taking each other off-course, so that we are dragged down into the deep woods, where we ourselves become undiscoverable, lost and wandering.

Pauls answer to the questions

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead (Acts 17:29-31)

Who, Who

• Who is this unknown God? 
• Who was raised from the dead? 
• Who, Who is this God, says the wise inquisitive owl: The One that cannot be bought, sold, created, shaped, nor moulded, by human hands? 
• Who, dear reader, Who? 

You cannot buy Him, because you are the one that can be bought and sold. You are the precious merchandise that is bartered over, and fought for in the streets. Your soul is on display, and there is much vying for you. 

God already owns you, but there are cheap warehouse brokers that would love to get you at a discount, for a bargain. You are a twofer, as the saying goes, a dime a dozen to the ones that care not about you, or your loved ones. 

While humans stand on street corners, the open market, trying to sell you their wares, there is One God that quietly says I AM and there is no other

Consider Who
You are smart dear reader. I will leave you now, to consider Who you believe or alternatively, who you believe 

But the voice of truth, tells me a different story, and the voice of truth, says do not be afraid... (Casting Crowns)

Avalanche

Falling rapidly
Recently I heard and read about avalanches... a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside. While in Kamloops weeks ago, I was told there had been a mud slide that blocked passage on a main road. Why am I sharing this with you, you ask? It is because sometimes, I feel like I am the rubble and stumble that has been rapidly falling down the mountainside, only to be buried under a mass of snow, ice and rocks! This buried feeling comes from a discovery of a repeated theme of dichotomy: a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. Dang it dear reader, I am caught between nether worlds, what I perceive as simple reality and than the complexity of the behind the scenes, the other side, the rest of the story.

Looking for clarity in the clutter
Is it us? I mean do we purposefully make life complicated? Is it possible to simplify, to modify to the point of truly being minimalistic? I consider myself to be a minimalist and call myself this and yet, I don't feel minimalistic at all when I see slippage from just above me, when I see a rock dislodged that threatens to roll over me and take me down with it. Focus is lost with purpose being displaced when I feel this way, when clarity is cluttered by... people!

Avalanche
I am laughing now dear reader, because it just so happens that I am part of the people problem. The avalanche is never about things, is it? It is always about moving stuff around to clear a path to each other. The snow, the ice, the rocks... these are the symbols of freezing, of impediment to relationship and when there is critical mass, passageways are blocked, communication is stilted and we cannot see or hear one another. I am a relator and on my best days, the path is cut before me and I can take steep hill steps regardless of circumstance but somedays, somedays, I just don't have a clue what lies before me and I falter. I can only see me and blockage and the wondering, how do I clear this path?

Working toward the middle
So here is my solution dear reader. Get a shovel, perhaps a pickaxe or even a bulldozer. I will bring with me my hacksaw, dump truck and spade. You start at your end and call out ready; with my hand cupped to my ear, I will begin digging from the other side...I promise to keep going, to keep cutting and digging to meet you in the middle-we can clear this path, you and I together.  I promise I will not give up or call it quits just because I get a little tired and confused... I promise that I will stay with it, stay with you until we can see and hear each other once again... I promise. 

Origins

Word Origins

Whether you are a history buff or a modern day go-with-the-flow-and-times kind of guy or gal, you are impacted by the language of the day. Each word we use has an origin, a beginning point. How is language introduced and how do words change meaning over time? We have all experienced word usage transformations, with ugly terms being dressed up to sound compelling (I need not mention the worst of the bunch so prolifically and readily used by young and old in every day obscene and unchallenged expression); and beautiful terms overused so that their meaning is watered down and they carry no power at all: words like authentic, awesome, and a term that particularly pertains to God Almighty, I AM, used by humans without recognition of the glory of God revealed in these, the shortest of words.

News

Yesterday I heard that the word news means north east west and south. I looked up the etymology and while this seems a lovely idea, news derives from the word tidings, which means: announcement of an event. I like this very much, all of it dear reader, because think on when you last heard the words, (glad) tidings and in what context? Need I lead you back in time to origins, to a babe born to a virgin, nestled in a manger two thousand years ago? 

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people (Luke 2:10). This angelic announcement was for all people and this means you, and me: news worthy of being spread, across the world, to the ends of the earth, to the north, the east, the west and the south. The King was about to enter the world

Jesus' words carry undeniable power

Fast forward to this pronouncement from a fully grown man, God incarnate, (incarnate is yet another word that society has debased by adding re to the word, as in re-incarnation) 

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14). 

What did Jesus authoritatively declare? It is this, that the Good News, the Gospel of salvation through Him was to be spread among the nations, to all four corners of the earth: the N (North) E (East) W (West) S (South). Good news, as they say, travels fast, and is it not true that bad news travels even faster dear one? 

Heaven had come down to man, as in Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Man met God in the flesh, and there is no turning back from His truth once it resounds in your soul. This news has spread, and continues to do so across the world And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:29). The virgin birth, the Good News.

Some bad news too, take heed
Jesus is Sovereign, King, from babe to fully grown man His "impact", a word in common usage today, has stretched before time and extends beyond eternity (lets not wrap our heads around this one shall we? Who has time to visit a psychiatrist today?). His coming was announced hundreds of years prior to his arrival. His presence was felt and has reverberated throughout the centuries and His warning, His very timely warning, is this and then shall the end come.

This is either good news, bad news, or no news at all, depending on your perceptive. It is good news for those that love Him, and eagerly anticipate being in His presence permanently. It is bad news for those that do not believe, because the end will come and they will be denied a place in His kingdom. It is no news at all, if this message is ineffectual and nonsensical and so, I ask you

Do you believe?
Do you believe Jesus is, was, and always will be, God, the Great I AM? If you feel the least bit of fright as you read, this is good dear one, because this matter is not to be taken at all lightly: 

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worth in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13)

Time Travel
News has now travelled to you and through you, do you accept it as truth? If news is an acronym for cardinal directions, for the four points represented in N, E, W, S and the kingdom is to be preached across the world unto all nations, do you, dear reader, receive this as good news? 

God connects our past and our present, and nothing is lost on Him. He uses time, He uses words,
and He uses our intellect to connect the dots, when we give ourselves over to His pointing, His direction, His good use of us.

Is it your time, to bow before the King, Immanuel, God, among us?

Is it, dear reader, time?

Never Again

Quick Sand
Here I sit at my work desk, with the sun shining into my window, blue sky painting my view. What I really want to do is run outside, and away from my problems! I laugh at the word problems, because it isn't a word I use to describe any parts of my life, ever. 

What I realize in this moment, is that sometimes what I face feels problematic, and it makes me mental. I feel a bit crazy as I wade into, and sort through the minutia, all the stuff that has to be taken care of to get to where I want to go and be: the mental minutia that feels like quick sand. When I feel this way, I turn to what others have suggested works for them, a to-do-list. 

What I know works for me, is to get outside and get physical. Somehow, the trees just don't care about websites, FB, Instagram, and the financial environment we all must face in our own circumstances. I leave you now to go out there, where imagination and limitlessness calls to the spirit.

I'm Back
I walked and then took the long way and walked some more. I took a path straight up, almost a vertical climb through a leaf littered forest, and my joy factor multiplied exponentially, because there was no one else there, not a soul: just me and the wind that rustles the remaining tree attached leaves, the ones that will soon spiral downward toward the ground, rejoining their mates. 

Was the walk good for my soul? Did my imagination ignite and become limitless? For moments at a time, it was indeed, good for my soul. But mostly, mostly dear reader, I grieved and I realize, that I am like one of the stubborn leaves that have yet to believe that fall has come, that I must let go: stop clinging to what was, and give way to the cold of winter 

The never agains have begun

I know this feeling, it is age old. You too, know this feeling, don't you? 

Never again, accepting never again...

The Climb

When life is a vertical climb
The view is often spectacular

Which moments changed your life?
What difference does one plane ride, one shuttle ride to the airport make? What difference do a couple hours or even, a few minutes dear reader, make, when you are in the company of other humans? For me, each moment in time is either lost to nothingness, or quintessential in monumental life shifts. 

Think for a moment about your own moments: 

• Which ones changed your life? 
• Which ones have you captured, and recorded in your memory, forever? 
• Was it when you first laid eyes on your love? 
• The day you discovered your baby stole your heart? 
• The day your dad died?

Forgive me as I self indulge: these were some of my moments. I am traveling in my head, my heart, my mind. My soul, it wants to travel too, a vertical climb...

Switching seats
I enter the Robert Q shuttle, taking a seat in the back row. The driver has pulled away from the curb, when I quickly realize that I have selected the wrong seat. I pick up my bag, and begin to awkwardly rectify the situation, moving toward the front of the van, while simultaneously asking the driver if he would mind me taking the passenger seat next to him. 

He agrees: to not ask, to not move, would have been a lost opportunity for me. The driver is talkative, and knowledgeable but mostly, I notice that he is a judicious man who has studied human nature. He speaks on things that pertain to me or perhaps, I ask questions I need answers to, and it just so happens, he is my current muse, my very own wise man, sent to give me insights I needed to learn and grow from.

Muse number two
I sit, middle of the row of three seats. I offer my trip companions gum before take off, and they each take a piece. We are strangers, but for me this means nothing, absolutely nothing. 

We are on the tarmac, and we stay there for near, or just over an hour. We each mind our own polite business, but not for long, never for long. It is there again, the knowing that to not connect, to not share, means a missed opportunity. 

I turn my head to the right, and it begins: the invitation to intimacy, to exploring the heart, the mind, the soul of another. It is what I live for, it is all that matters, and it is, why I exist. I am not disappointed. I meet yet another muse, and I begin to soar, the sky is the limit.

How many moments in time have you captured?
I am a traveller. I see mountains and trees. I enter shuttles and airplanes. I travel highways and byways but dear reader, my soul demands and responds to calls for exploration and discovery of other, the landscapes of their being 

• What about yours: your soul?
• How many moments in time have you captured? How many have you missed? 
• What have you ignored in favour of ignorance, in favour of disconnection? 
• Will you switch seats, not wanting to miss one more chance? 
• Will you engage with those on either side of you, knowing that to not do so might mean you have misplaced the opportunity of a lifetime? 
• Will you decide to fly high, travel vertically for the sake of your soul?

Today is the day the Lord has made, today is the only day you have to let someone steal your heart...

God Singing

Of course
Of course! I said this to myself after an astounding epiphany this morning, while driving to a clients house. I was listening to Faith FM and I heard the DJ share this verse for the day:

Can you hear God
singing over you?

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:19)

Dear dear reader! Look at the verse! God Almighty saves, yes yes, we know this part. He takes delight in you, and me. Okay what, this is astounding. He will quiet us with his love. This is lovely and I have experienced this, have you? But the next part, the next part had me in tears

He will rejoice over you with singing! 

Singing
As I drove this morning, I heard joy in the DJs voice, celebrating this message. I knew it was for me, I knew it was for you! God sings for goodness sakes and this was my epiphany. Of course God sings-every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights... (James 1:17), this includes singing. 

And why wouldn't God sing? If we are created in His image, and this is what is expounded in The Bible to be true, then it follows that we can only do what He does, isn't that right? Now, I admit, some of us do this singing thing way better than others, and perhaps this is why we cry or laugh, feel when we hear powerful angelic voices: echoes of Gods own voice as He sings mightily in heaven. The thought makes me weep in its beauty, and the astounding truth that each time we hear human voices in song, they are an acoustic reminder of who God created us to be, His voice on earth.

Imagine now dear reader, God rejoicing over you! 

Can you hear Him singing?

Hangover

Hangover

Sometimes I experience hangover. A hangover is descriptive of the unpleasant head and body reactions to something ingested the day before; the after affects of indulgence. I have had many hangovers. In my youth, these were the result of alcohol consumption, but in my mid-life, hangovers act like sinus issues that cause headaches, as I react to various foods and even scents. The world has become toxic, and I am not alone in my reactions. There are some buildings that have request signs posted on their doors and walls "Fragrance free zone", "Peanut and nut allergies; be aware". The world is polluted, and polluting, and people are getting sick as a result.

Emotional Hangover

Today I have an emotional hangover. I had an unpleasant exchange with someone I love, and it has left me feeling sad, disappointed and a little weak, sick at heart. We poured verbal venom into one another and today, I wonder about long term affects. Allergic type reactions that dictate how we interact in the future? To say I am contrite would be a lie. I felt justified in the venomous verbal spillage but than again, this is how it always is when we feel right(eous), isn't it dear reader? 

Fights and Quarrels

From whence comes wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:1-3)  

What I know is that whenever there is verbal violence, a toxic exchange, God was not consulted, He wasn't asked to mediate. My remedy for this emotional hangover is Him, His Word 

It is His correction that convicts me, and has me accountable for my own words and actions:

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:7-8)

Oh the tongue: to tame it is my plan, with Gods help