The Spade

I have this dreary vision of a woman digging her own grave... 

A woman was once gravely ill, and someone offered her a spade. She took the spade, then set it aside, whilst deciding to live. Being gravely ill didn't match her personality, her perspective, her desire to savour the pleasures of this life, and so, she was spared.

Not long ago, the spade reappeared. Someone took it from the darkened corner of the woman's mind, handed it to her, and stated "Take this." The spade looked familiar to the woman but she could not place where she had last seen it, if at all? "Take it, TAKE IT" the voice insisted, and the woman did as she was bidden.

"What am I to do with it?" she asked the someone. "All in good time", the someone responded.

Life of its own

The woman forgot about the spade, misplacing it once again. She carried on with her life: eating, drinking, laughing, talking, working, solving the problems of the world while believing that the universe had a plan for her, and everyone else in it. The spade all but forgotten, took on a life of its own: scraping dirt, hitting rocks, shoving them aside, until soft earth was found. One shovel full, one pile of dirt and rubble removed at a time, an opening enlarged. The woman felt something odd, a pull backward; that old sick feeling hinting of its return. No matter, she would look into the sickliness that made her feel tired and without strength. She had won this battle once before, and would rise to the challenge yet again.

An elixir

All around her people clung to life. They heard there was an elixir, a promise of safety and wellness for one and all. Believing in humanity, believing in the common good, the woman did her part. She again did as she was bidden, along with all those that cared enough about their fellow man to do as they too, were told. "Take the spade, TAKE THE SPADE..." each and every one, heard this same insistent instruction: unbeknownst to them. The someone had made his rounds, visiting those that were inclined to perish, those that didn't mind getting a little dirty with delusion and confusion, believing that they could save themselves and others with strong medicines made by men. 

The grip of the grave

With every passing day, the woman felt an irresistible pull. She had done most things just right, but fate, as cruel and kind as it can be, had other plans for her. She was not to escape the grip of the grave, and she inexplicably took one, then two, then quickly three and four backward steps. The spade suddenly reappeared, extended by an invisible hand. It bid her one last time, to dig a shovel full, and live the grand gesture of throwing the dug up dirt on her own coffin for all to see, how very brave a woman can be, going to her own death. 

Writers Reveal:

Dear reader, I will give you this writers reveal. The image of digging came to me earlier today, and try as I might, I could not fathom what it was about. Later, I opened an email, and there was a note that suggested that if the reader was reading, the writer was already dead, and the email had been sent by the authors husband. 

Without giving you specific details, I will say that the person that died, had survived a horrendous bout of cancer many years ago. More recently, she decided to get injected with the popular poison juice that many are deluded enough to believe is meant for their good and the good of everyone else. Wouldn't you know it, the woman "tempted fate", and became deathly ill once again, and this time, no treatment made even a hint of healing difference. 

She is now dead, her body awaiting burial.

Cumulative effect

What I know is that when her belief system was challenged regarding the injections, she was adamant about her choice being the correct one. I am confident that in her final days, she remained clueless about her own contributions to her demise. Like so many, the delusion is so strong, that the lie they swallowed whole has lodged itself somewhere in their being, directing their very thoughts. It is never just one lie, dear reader, that damns us. There is a cumulative effect when we deny truth in favour of our own preferred unrighteous reality. Those that are perishing, dig their own graves when they reject Jesus as Saviour. This is the scripture that matches what we are woefully witnessing: The Great Apostasy and falling away, coupled with strong delusion. God gives people over to their sin when they persist in it. The woman's funeral service and luncheon will be held at the church she attended with her husband. 

The Great Apostasy

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

I leave you to ponder where we are in this moment of time... 

Woof Woof NAY SPRAY

WARNING: Heavy sarcasm ahead

Not long ago, I saw a dog in a retail store. Since then, I have noticed a lot more furry shopping companions in stores. Today, it occurred to me that this makes total sense! If my grown man child decides that he is a Bouvier and I need him to try on a collar, or one of those adorable plaid winter doggy coats for winter walking, then I better be able to take him into Winners! 

Now I don't want to be stingy and restrictive with my son's freedom to select his very own species of choice to imitate, so I have to remain flexible if and when he becomes  creative with what he is. What if he decides to be a horse, cow, pig, ferret, cat (how boring) or SKUNK! 

If he decides on SKUNK, I wonder how going to Marshalls will be for us. I am already steeling myself to the judgmental looks, and perhaps people even backing away. Now if this happens AT ALL, I will have to report these discriminating people to management, and ask that they be invited to leave. How would they feel if their SKUNK son or daughter felt left out, or judged, for being who they believe they are supposed to be? Seriously, it is beyond me to comprehend the cruelty of some people. I tell you right now, I will NOT TOLERATE anyone mocking, laughing, or criticizing my kid. If anyone dares call him STINKY, then I will have a massive hissy fit.

Mind you, he hasn't even hinted at wanting to be an animal. He seems okay with being a man, but I am READY for action if he decides that he is called in a different direction. My mumma claws are out and sharpened, ready to attack anyone that becomes offensive. If he ever decides that litter boxes are preferable to private bathrooms, water and food bowls on the floor are more to his liking, than eating at a table with a knife, fork, and napkin close by, and running around NAKED, out in our neighbourhood barking, naying, mooing, snorking, burrowing, meowing, or spraying to stink up the hood, rather than just plain old dressing like a man, and speaking and acting like one too, then who am I to stop him? It is THEIR problem, not ours, if people don't like my sons choices, and THEY must adapt to this sort of thing or clearly, they have emotional difficulties that need professional attention. 

I am his MOM, and whatever he chooses, I will support... 

Anyways, I am sure that if you have children, you completely understand the times we are living in, and how vitally important it is to allow our children to choose for themselves, on every human, I mean every animal level, available to them. Limiting them could very well dampen their spirit, and even crush it. Free expression is trendy, and I will be damned if my child chooses to be a skunk with, I mean without, I mean ummm, with or without my approval. I certainly don't want to be one of those conservative moms that expects him to be a good citizen of this world if he prefers animalistic ways over human ones. Good grief, that would be crass, intolerant, and plain old savage. 

I am so glad we had this meeting of the minds. It is refreshing to be free, isn't it, dear reader? Free to be me, or a frog, or...

NOTE: My son is a man of God, and has no interest in being otherwise. This piece of writing is a spook, not to be taken at all seriously. 

What is serious though, dear reader, is the sickness that pervades our society. Our children are being demeaned, demoralized, dehumanized, and parents and teachers alike, are not only permitting this, but encouraging it. 

Shame on them. 

The Gallows for Haman

We are watching crimes, not intervening, and observing the bad guys chauffeur driven away in their limousines. We feel impotent, seeing children in m🤐sks, people lining up for injections, witnessing these same people limp and suffer from the internalized poisons, and liars spewing stupidity each time they open their mouths: and we don't say or do a darned thing. After violating our sensibilities and moral code, the criminals roll off to a luxurious place to elevate their feet, sip on something tropical while recharging, and then take their next tour of dirty duty, assaulting humanity at large.  

🔥 Whatever will you do?

🔥 What have you done?

🔥 What is your action plan in the very near future?

Since God, as Sovereign, deemed it appropriate to give each tiny tyrant, that is you and me, dear reader, the ability to choose, we can see that He placed us in a moral dilemma, isn't that so? If the questions above were asked of each of us by God, how would you respond?

My son and I were driving the other day and he mentioned that we cannot be every child's parent, but that maybe we would take some in when they are orphaned. That thought has stuck with me: the first adoptive parents were indeed, Christians. They took children in that were exposed, left outside of family dwellings to die from hunger, thirst, and literally exposure to the elements. 

Not caring for and worse yet, abusing the young, must be the most atrocious and grotesque behaviour that God witnesses, day in and out, without stoppage. The vile hearted, for fear of penalty, used to hide their heinous ways in the shadows: alas, these culprits have grown in numbers, and what formerly was shameful, is now popular and trendy. They fear not. They have figured out repercussions are for those that challenge and question their actions. They live their lives believing that anything they say and do, cannot and will not, be used against them in everyday life, nor will they be held to account in courts of law. 

In my most faith filled moments, I am excited to see what God will do. History is replete with glorious God interventions. The wicked are here today, and gone tomorrow, or the next day, or even, sometimes a year from now. I think of Haman in the book of Esther. Esther bravely risked her life to expose one of the kings closest and trusted but clearly, sneaky servants. Her timing was impeccable, and I highly recommend you read the story in its entirety for some reassurance and encouragement. Here is a short excerpt:

So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!

Then Queen Esther answered and said, If I have found favour in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss.

So king Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?

And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!

So Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 

Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?

As the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.

Then the king said, Hang him on it.

So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided (Esther 7:1-10)

Dear reader, Haman had plotted and planned the murder of the Jews. He had recruited people across the land to execute their Jewish neighbours one year after he had gotten the king to sign a death decree. Esther was an intercessor, a woman of God placed to speak, at her peril, against the man and his plot to kill her relatives. She was unwittingly a plant, and she did her best work for the Kingdom of God, when she trusted His will and His ways. 

Haman had erected a gallows right out front of his home! How grotesque is that? He took pleasure in his plan, and fully intended to enjoy the murder of Mordecai... sound familiar? Are we not seeing killers roaming freely, eating and drinking as though they are royalty with impunity to do as they please? 

Haman begged for his life, but was immune to compassion for other. He had sympathy for self, and felt not a moment of empathetic pain for the Jews his hate filled heart sought to annihilate. Spoiler alert, not only did Haman get what he deserved, but his ten sons were also "slew": the sins of the father in this case were definitely visited upon the sons. 

God turns things around, dear one, when circumstances seem most dire. The story of Esther is one of intrigue, murder, emotional turmoil, submission to the Power that is God, and ultimately, redemption of God's faithful ones, with some justice served up to the evil plotters and planners that were hell bent on killing innocent people.

We are called as intercessors. If Esther is our model, how are we to step into the gap, into the fray, even at the risk of our own safety?

King Ahasuerus was a human inclined to being deceived, and also inclined to partying with snakes that wanted to climb the ladder of life to a position of wanton power and prestige. But, dear one, when the king was alerted, and sobered to the facts, he came alive with righteous indignation, and I ask you, I suggest, I not so subtly insist, that we do the same.

God has given us the gift of choice. We could be tiny tyrants, wanting our own ways, serving our own desires, filling ourselves up with what pleases us at the expense of other. But that is not God's way... He is the true King of kings, and He wants us to be like Esther, and have the rewards of Mordecai for our faithfulness! I ask you again:

🔥 Whatever will you do?

🔥 What have you done?

🔥 What is your action plan in the very near future?

I will lead the answering way:

🔥 I have shared my faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour

🔥 I will continue to do so with all I meet, whether on social media or in person

🔥 I will trust in the living God, read His word, learn His ways, and live my life as though it is entirely dependant on Him and Him alone

🔥 I will speak against evil no matter the cost, up to and including risking my own life

These words from Jesus must be our strength:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28)

NOTE: I hesitated including the image of the gallows because it is jarring to the spirit. I decided to use it, because we are talking about life and death, and murderous plots against unsuspecting people. 

When Haman wanted to play hangman with the innocent and righteous before God Mordecai, he opened the door to tables being turned on him. We are witnessing wickedness on a global scale, and vengeance is truly, the Lord's. 

Let us continue to speak truth, call out evil, and resist it at all costs.

Christ Brings Division

I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Luke 12:49-53)

• I came to send fire on the earth: judgment of the wicked
• How I wish it were already kindled!: Jesus hates sin
• But I have a baptism to be baptized with: He was going to the cross
• How distressed I am till it is accomplished: He wanted His suffering and mission accomplished already

And

• Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?: He came to separate the wicked from the righteous
• I tell you, not at all: Jesus affirms what His mission is, and it is not about peace
• But rather division: the saved and the damned will be divided
• For from now on five in one house will be divided: count the people in your house, your family: immediate and distant relatives... where do each of them stand?
• Three against two, and two against three: is this what you have experienced?
• Father will be divided against son and son against father: for the sake of the King, for the Kingdom of God, parents and their children will not align. Rejecting God causes family to be separated
• Mother against daughter and daughter against mother: the closest of ties will be severed permanently
• Mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law: what should be a joyful union of families, will become a devastated wasteland

I wrote a blog years ago, entitled California Jesus. Jesus is not some cool dude riding a lie and compassion wave of tolerance for the BSery that we are now witnessing on a hideous global stage and scale. Jesus cannot stand sin, and stated clearly:

 I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

Think now, about the rest of the verses, and how He described what we are now living. I am a party of one, speaking to you from typed words on a virtual page. I have experienced what the verses describe, dear reader, and I am CONFIDENT, that EVERY FAMILY WORLD WIDE, at this late date in the game of life, has experienced the EXACT SAME THINGS⁉️ 

Jesus is God, was God, will always be, God. It isn't surprising, is it, that he knows, He knew, He still does KNOW, what will be, and how each individual will behave given the circumstances that are playing out? 

If we the people of God do not recognize the times we are in, then hell on earth, when will we? I wrote that with tongue in cheek, mocking the situation that is seriously besetting us. We are living THE BIBLE, and to ignore this, or pretend now isn't the time to consider Jesus' Words as all powerful, perhaps suggests we are on the side of the fools that are counted as wicked! To clarify, I do not mock the suffering or injustices, I do however, mock the tomfoolery of many that display public moronic behaviours, including denying the living God. 

The Bible testifies AGAINST us, when we read and do not heed, the wisdom placed therein for our edifying. Phew, that is all, I got out what was pent up inside. 

Lastly, for this piece of writing anyway, please do read The Bible in its entirety. Ask God to illume your mind. Your understanding of what is happening in the world depends upon it:

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Proverbs 2:6)

Vacation Destination, Denial

You never have to be accountable on Denial

There is a cool place that many have gone to visit called Denial. I believe we have all gone on short excursions there and for some, it is so pleasant and wonderful, there is no coming back! In Denial, you can come and go as you please. You never have to be accountable and best of all, you can leave a trail of destruction behind you without cleaning up. No backward glances required, you can just keep on keeping on as you travel to happy destinations located nearby.

STAY AT YOUR OWN RISK

Close to Denial is an island called It's Not My Fault. Many people visit there, finding most excellent company. On It's Not My Fault, people tell their stories in great detail. There is a lot of nodding and agreement from everyone as they take turns listening and talking: after all, it isn't their fault either. You can take a short ferry ride across a bay to Blame Everyone Else. This is a delight to experience, however, there are signs posted everywhere by an anonymous do-gooder that clearly warn STAY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Eventually you will be blamed for something. 

Next on the island hopping tour is Deception. This place is very curious. Nothing is as it appears and this island is inhabited with indigenous characters. While visiting, you are bound to be enchanted by Bold Face Lie, Lie of Omission, Little White Lie, Manipulation, and a crowd favourite, Whispering Gossip. These entertainers will not fail to keep you engaged and occupied during your stay. You might even leave with a keepsake, you know, the old knife in your back kind that may very well be the envy of all of your friends when you return to Denial. Hell, you could win the grand title at the One Up Contest when you share your stories! Ahhh, sweet denial, it is a haven for the unaccountable, those who feel safest just not having to be responsible! Of course, denial is always an option, a go to hide away from the rest of the world but alas, it is lonely because relationship cannot survive there. No one can be trusted on Denial.

Beams of light

There is a place, not far from Denial. It boasts a lighthouse and on the darkest nights, beams of radiant light shine onto the inhabitants of Denial. Some cover their eyes with their forearms, blocking out the rays but some stare directly at the light and wonder about it, where it comes from. Eyes widen, pupils dilate. Those with eyes that see are drawn to travel to the island with the beams of light. The island of Truth beckons and onlookers cannot help but feel its tug, its inexplicable pull.

Denial is always an option and the Truth, well, it too is an option. You get to choose. We all get to choose. 

Emotional Blackmail

This never happened to me, but I heard about it growing up. It was the old "If you love me... then ___________."

Boys would use this manipulative ploy to get girls to do what they naturally felt like doing, but knew wasn't a good idea. Boys and girls making out used to be a thing, and the girls set limits on "how far" they would "go". There was a progressive nature to the interactions, but a boy using the line "If you love me then", when he wanted something more than the girl was comfortable giving, was an obvious attempt at playing on her emotions. After all, it was her private body he wanted to invade, and that ought to be by permission only: when the love word enters into a relationship, the dynamics start to change... to satisfy our own urges at someone else's expense, effectively uses them, and this is unsettling to say the least, especially when the someone is very young. 

Good parents, and good friends, would warn girls if they confessed feeling pressured into having sex with their boyfriend. The fear of losing the boy would give the girl pause, to consider his insistent plea: smart girls with self esteem, resented being put in this position, and summarily, would tell the fella to shove off. 

Where oh where, do you suppose I am going with this line of thinking? Hmmm, let's see:

• You can't see me in person 
• You can't be with me without a thingy over your mouth, nose, maybe even your eyeballs, depending on whether or not they look glassy, unhealthy, or suspiciously clear, because one just doesn't know what one might encounter
• We cannot be in the same room unless there is six feet between us
• You must sanitize your entire body, house, car, family members, cat, dog, ferret, to be near me
• You have to get sharp objects filled with poison inserted into your arm, once, twice, three times, to be a lady, a gentlemen, a decent human being for goodness sakes! 
• If you love me... then you will concede, submit, be subdued, give in to the pressure, roll your sleeve up and let me have my way with you

Yup, I think that about summarizes what we the resistance have experienced. Saying yes when we want to say no may not technically be rape, but it is a violation, and an imposition of will of one on another. The implication is, that other feels superior, worthy of demanding what is not on offer: in old fashioned language, that is called rude, aggressive, abrasive, insensitive, crude... and just plain old ugly and despicable emotional manipulation.

Love, according to the word of God, is this: 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love never fails... (1 Corinthians 13:8)

When relationship is based on imposition or performance, it erodes and eventually destroys trust. What we are now witnessing, is the fall of those that made us, ipso facto, their enemies, without cause. 

We wanted to remain in relationship, but somehow what was good enough and even fantastic before, just didn't rate anymore, and by virtue of saying no, I will not go all the way with you, to the self serving boyfriend, we got hot potato dropped. It is fascinating to be able to assess what has happened without feeling the pain anymore. I have a clinical approach to the recent past, and a phantom limb like remembrance of those that not long ago, could not suffer me, or us, dear reader.

In the book of Luke, chapter 11, Jesus is criticized by a Pharisee for not washing prior to seating himself at the meal he was invited to. Jesus, let us make no mistake, knew exactly what He was doing, and knew too, how what He didn't do, would be perceived:

And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. So he went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

Then the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them (Luke 11:37- 43)

I never thought I would see the day when my neighbours and friends, and even relatives I had considered close life time companions, would think it a good thing to fine dine, without me being able to join them. I never thought it would be okay with them, to fly high, even when others of us could not, because we did not "wash" the outside of us. Justice, giving alms to the poor, became passé apparently. They were more than happy to say yes to self, taking the best of seats, and greeting one another with a confident private club of superiority nod, in the marketplaces. 

The last verse quoted above, dear reader, grabbed me by the gut:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them (Luke 11:43)

Those that imposed what ought not to have been imposed, supposed that we did not love them: if we did, love them that is, we would have done what they did, just because they asked. This used to be called emotionally blackmail.

All the clean on the outside, dirty on the inside folk that willingly pushed people that loved them away, became hidden open graves, for all that did their bidding, for fear of being shunned. 

Sigh, only God can help them now. 

Eery Vindication

Insulting name calling

I was called names, dear reader: one title labelled me as a cult leader. Other words to describe me were irresponsible, and unhelpful: there were more, but who cares really, at this point? I am confident that if you are reading this, and you took the same stand that I did almost three years ago, you too, were described in insulting and unbecoming ways that were not reflective of who you are. 

Mangled angry faces

I am not a grudge holder, but I do recall with clarity this morning, what felt like looming ugly faces imposing in my personal space, accompanied by hate directed my way when I salmon swam up stream, while so many I knew for what seemed a life time, played in the shallows of someone else's swampy stagnant pond. The mangled with anger faces flash before my eyes, people I knew, and yet, now they seem so alien to me, like we never even met. They turned on me viciously, without good reason, other than me speaking the truth. THAT, is demented. 

I was right though, dear reader. I called it like it was, and is, and this morning, I have that yucky feeling of unpleasant satisfaction, of eery vindication. 

Saved my health and life

Being right about horrible circumstances is nightmarish. It isn't a feel good occasion for me. Being right though, saved my health and my life. I was right to believe my discernment. I was right to resist the imposition of strange rules and regulations that I had never heard of or experienced before. I was right to call the liars bluff, and I am here to write, about being right. 

I have a curiosity about the people I used to know. How have they changed? What are they experiencing? How do they feel? Are they well; are their family members well? Has anyone died?

Has anyone died...

Elevated levels of cortisol

My son made a most excellent point today, about the perpetrators ensuring our continual elevated levels of cortisol due to the anxiety of not knowing. We don't know if, when, where, how people that have been injected with poison will go from this world into the next. It is a waiting game that I did not sign up to play, and yet here I am, wondering, waiting, and curious.

Curiosity is usually very healthy. When we use our curiosity, we get to ask questions and those yield answers that help us understand people places and things much better. The curiosity of wondering if someone is sick and or dying, isn't helpful or healthy. It is an unfortunate by product of KNOWING, in the circumstances we now live, that it is only a matter of time before we hear or read the news, that someone we used to know, is no more. 

Truth digs

Day after day behind the scenes sickly information is revealed. This is a Biblical principle, that what has been hidden will see the light of day. The truth works like that, it isn't meant to be buried. Lies surface because the truth digs them up, exposing them for what they are, for the sake of those that need vindication; need to know that they were on the right path and are still. John the Baptist, that faithful Holy Spirit filled messenger from God, asked from his prison cell, the question:

And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 

When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 

Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me (Luke 7:19-23)

People were offended, dear reader. They didn't like Jesus as the solution to a man made problem. As a result, they took into themselves a Satanic potion, and lo:

• their infirmities increased to the point of plague
• evil spirits speak without constraint to, and through them
• those that could see clearly, now have vision trouble, and some are completely blind
• people hobble, and walk in the most distorted and unnatural of ways; so many cannot walk at all
• the previously healthy live with lesions, while others watch as their skin turns to black death, leprous and devouring
• they cannot hear the voice of God; their ears ring continually
• the grave yawns its hideous mouth widely, waiting to consume them
• Lord help them, the gospel was shared but they refused to believe that the Kingdom of God was not only near, but here

Instead of receiving God's blessing, 

they brought upon themselves a curse. 

But John the Baptist, dear one, before his beheading, was affirmed. He recognized Jesus when the two of them were in their mothers wombs. John recognized Jesus as the Lord when He appeared, and instructed John to baptize Him. 

He needed to know that he was right. And he was, as confirmed by the miracles Jesus performed, and the message Jesus gave to John's disciples, to assure John that he fulfilled his mission on earth, by declaring to all that would listen, the coming of the Saviour. 

And saying, Repent ye: 

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2)

Fearlessly

John the Baptist was a voice crying out in the wilderness. And perhaps your voice has been the same. I know mine has, and I sometimes just plain old wish that people trusted Jesus with their lives, the way I have, the way God's faithful ones have throughout history. He has instructed us to place our faith in Him, and to do so fearlessly. The greatest sin most recently committed, has been mass, hysterical, unwarranted fear... a true indication that God and man are miles, and for many, an eternity, apart. 

When I looked up the word vindicated just now, I felt a sense of relief: here are some synonyms:

acquit, clear, absolve, free from blame, declare innocent, exonerate, 

exculpate, discharge, liberate, free, deliver, redeem

This is how I feel. I was wrongly accused, and false witness was bourn against me. I have been exonerated, and found innocent of wrong doing, because I not only spoke the truth, I remained steadfast in my declarations of what I knew to be lies these past several years. 

Am I bragging, dear reader? 

Do you think me arrogant? 

Not at all. Those of us that refused to take the fake bait, live to tell the tale, and the falsehoods that are perpetually presenting themselves publicly, acquit us of all wrongdoing. We remain blameless, while those that pointed accusatory fingers in our direction, now must live with the reality, that they were deadly wrong. 

Alas, this is the saddest case of rightness I have ever experienced.

Moral Fortitude

Taking liberties 

Taking liberties is what every bully aspires to accomplishing. I wonder about the first moment in a bullies lifetime, when they aggressively got what they wanted by imposing on someone slightly smaller, someone mild and gentle, someone kind in nature. Did the bully get a thrill when they saw shock, dismay, hurt, in the facial expression of the one they stole from, shoved out of the way, punched, or cruelly called vile names? 

Imagine being the bully... eeck, if you are able to imagine this, perhaps you are one?!

The next day

I recall being the tender age of seven. My family moved to London Ontario, and my father had an old friend living here, that we went to visit. His friend had two daughters, and one of them was my age. We played together during that visit. The next day, I went to my new school, and there she was, my Sunday  playmate... that somehow didn't seem to recognize me? She wouldn't say hello, or acknowledge me in anyway... hmmm, how strange. 

Dismissive behaviour

As a child, I did not have the words or emotional maturity to verbalize my confusion over her oddly dismissive behaviour. Years later, in grade seven or eight, she was one of four vicious girls that would corner a selected female classmate at recess, calling the victim every nasty name they could think of. This went on for many a recess, with fresh meat to antagonize, when they had finished a girl off, and left her emotionally battered and bruised: in other words, they would move on to next. I didn't like their behaviour, and I got the nickname toughie for some reason I cannot recall. This was the word I heard over and over again one day in the line up, to go back into class after recess. For whatever reason, with eyes and nose running, I shouted "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Something inside of me refused to be someone else's poison sponge.

And they did, they left me alone. The teacher heard me yell this, but he didn't investigate... hmmm again, shame on that lazy sorry excuse for a grade school Catholic teacher. He did not have charity in his heart, nor did he care for the downtrodden. I did, however, get a sweet compliment from one of the other girls that had also been mistreated by the wicked witch foursome, who stated "Good for you." 

Seem to go unnoticed

I still marvel at the viciousness of these little girls. They savoured cruelty, and while they cornered an unwitting victim, others gathered to watch. Where, oh where, was the teacher on yard duty? How did this seem to go unnoticed, without interruption, despite its repetitive daily theme of trap and torture? All I can say is this is not uncommon: looking the other way is a way of life for the many. Stepping in requires interest, energy, and AND, moral fortitude. 

This is the point in my writing where I begin to smirk in appreciation for the phrase, moral fortitude. Moral mortals will not, can not, refuse to look away, when they see someone being mistreated, abused, battered and broken, at the hands of the vicious. We cannot do it. We must shout "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

WIMPS, whimpering LOSERS

I see the bullies as hunting for sport. It is grotesque knowing that they take pleasure in the pain they willingly inflict, but let us remember that they are WIMPS when challenged. They are pathetic little whimpering LOSERS, when someone bigger then them stands up and looms, casting shadows that make them mutter and stutter and lose their strength. And this, dear reader, is what we simply must do, one and all. Stand looming over them, letting them know, we are fearless in the face of their ridiculousness. 

What I am realizing in my writing, is that microcosmic foursome of vicious little girls gathered strength from an audience. They also gave each other the courage to commit crimes against their unwitting victims, because clearly, they had plotted and planned who would get the treatment before recess began: after all, less than fifteen minutes had to be well utilized if they were going to break a girl down and shatter her innocence and confidence. That microcosm represents all the bullies of the world, on a macrocosmic scale in our time. The cowards found their others, plotted and planned, and then ensured they had an audience to witness their vile attacks on unwitting victims, poison sponges that did not know how to yell "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

⭕️ Sometimes, we have to yell it for them, dear reader.

⭕️ Sometimes, we have to step into the gap, be willing to shout down the wimps, the cowardly pathetic losers that get their jollies from injuring others.

⭕️ Sometimes, we need to demonstrate what moral fortitude looks and sounds like, in order for others to pick up their own weapons of self defence, and cripple the ugly beasts living inside of the bullies.

Sometimes, we just plain old need to shout, "LEAVE ME ALONE, OR ELSE!"

The Consistency Principle

We humans are an interesting lot. Confusing might be the word to describe us, but thankfully, there are some professionals that study human behaviours, learn how to read body language, and then, give readers the gift of their gleaned knowledge. 

Plain old WRONG

I recently learned about the consistency principle, and man alive, the lights sure did turn on for me when I realized it explains what has happened in the minds of those that adamantly remain committed to being right, when all evidence points to them being in grave error. I can think of many a stubborn moment in my own life when what I had committed to, was not exactly the best or wise plan, but I clung to it until I had to humbly admit, I was just plain old WRONG. We have all been in similar circumstances, and the consequences for clinging to a lie can be dire; there is proof of this all around us, isn't that right, dear reader?

Consistency principle

Let us dive into the consistency principle, as explained by a former FBI agent, Jack Schaffer, Ph. D. The information comes from the book he wrote with Marvin Karlins, Ph. D. entitled The Like Switch. I am not quoting the book verbatim, I am using my own words to describe what I have learned. 

The consistency principle explains decision making processes. When we have to make a choice, we may feel some tension, as we consider taking a stance or making a move. Once we have decided, and verbalize our decision, the tension dissipates, leaving us with a feeling of resolve, or even a sense of peace. If someone presents a dissenting point of view BEFORE we have verbalized our opinion, there is a chance their reasoning will change ours, but once we have vocalized our decisions to go a certain route, it is very difficult for anyone to change our mind! 

Right choice?

Once a decision has been made, being reluctant to change our point of view is only natural; being proven wrong can cause dissonance and psychological strain; after all, we thought we thought the thing through in the first place... isn't that proof enough that we made the right choice? 

I declare that emotional attachment to being right, can be our undoing. When we have invested feelings into a decision, rationality can magically evaporate. Emotions colour, or discolour, clarity, and facts to prove we were correct can be contrived to contribute to the continued delusion. Sound familiar?

Conviction of conscience 

This is when we get to learn and grow. When our relationships start to suffer because we refuse to be wrong, ever, there is something off that needs to be addressed. I love the concept of conviction of conscience, that niggling feeling that maybe, just maybe, we made a decision that wasn't based on sound reasoning, but based on something that was conveniently placed in front of us at the time. 

Being wrong periodically is a given that can become a way of life if we refuse to accept responsibility for mismanaging our choices. The consistency principle proves how stubborn we humans can be, forsaking truth and a better way, when we reject being corrected. It is humility that teaches us to accept our errors, to learn from them, and to be more reticent the next time a big decision has to be made. As someone once said:

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby (Hebrews 12:11) 

And;

Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish (Proverbs 12:1) 

I will give you a different translation for Hebrews 12:11 and Proverbs 12:1

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11)

And;

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1)

I am pretty confident we can leave off from this topic with these verses, dear reader. May God richly bless you after you willingly confess your sins and ask for His forgiveness, and to lead you in a better, more holy way.

Well Sure He's a Narcissist!

Grumpy sometimes

Well sure, he's a narcissist, but he means well! I know he says some terrible things, and okay, he has done some stuff I wouldn't normally approve of, but you know, mostly, he is a good guy, one of the best! He just gets a little... grumpy sometimes. That's when I work around him, lay low, stay out of his way so that I don't make him mad... he is very sensitive, and I realize, I must be too, so that we can get along!

Maladjusted to the abuser

Perhaps you recognize this perspective? Perhaps you have heard it, read it, witnessed this very same approach to the devilish? The mistreated become maladjusted to the abuser, and rather than holding them accountable, they are inclined to stay in relationship, and accommodate the misuse from another. This is happening all around us, dear reader. What used to be hidden away in homes and labelled domestic violence, is now an international phenomenon. Why just yesterday, I read a comment that went something like "He is a narcissist, but he puts America first." A narcissist never puts anyone before themselves, but who am I trying to convince? If you are reading this, chances are, you are old enough, mature enough, and have experienced enough wanton selfish behaviour at the hands of narcissistic employers, family members, clergy, friends, to know what kind of animal they can be. 

Tiny leprechaun

When I was in my twenties, I worked with young offenders in an open custody facility. The place was a rat hole, decrepit and dreary-one tiny tornado could have swept it off its ugly feet in seconds flat. I liked my work, but the dark atmosphere, the wicked goings on, had gloom settling into my soul with each passing shift. My manager, a tiny leprechaun of a man, became the bane of my existence. At one point, he and I took a course together, and it was during one of the sessions, that I had to leave the room, go to the bathroom, and weep almost hysterically. I was in an abusive relationship with him, and when the instructor described the abuse cycle, including the honeymoon phase (the abuser wins back their victim with confusing kindness and this has them return for another round of misuse), I realized how cruel he had been to me. One of his favourite tricks was to blame me if one of the young offenders and I had a disagreement. He would ask me "What did you do to make (insert name) mad?" ... hmmmm, talk about empowering the mischievous, defiant, and purposefully difficult offender, at the expense of a staff member in a presupposed position of authority. One other thing he used to ask me "Why are you so happy all the time?" Make what you will of this kind of question. 

Changed my world

Prior to the course, I do recall wanting to have work go well, or better than it had been going. I thought it was me, that if I tried harder, was nicer, didn't say this or that, did what everyone else was doing (the staff lied, broke rules, were inappropriate with each other, and the young offenders by colluding with them when they broke certain rules), then perhaps I could get along. My anxiety levels went through the roof, and on my weekends off, I would almost hyperventilate at the thought of going back into that hell hole for another shift. I started making good use of my sick days, but that didn't stop my manager from calling me at home to question my calling in sick. I was indeed, avoiding going in, but dear reader, when a person feels broken from being subjected to deceptions, misuse, and the fear of being persecuted with their integrity attacked, the soul becomes weary and the body sick. There were many, many, instances that I will not share here, that traumatized me, AND, the Abuse Cycle information changed my world! 

I had to learn first hand what being abused felt like, and what a person goes through emotionally, psychologically, physically, and lastly, spiritually, in order to understand how debilitating and demoralizing it can be. I also needed to learn each stop on the vicious cycle, so that I could recognize it when it was happening, not only to me, but to other. That course changed my trajectory. I was no longer willing to be mistreated, and I felt empowered, with my old strength of fighting for self resurfacing. I needed to get out of there; after four years of gradual displacement of me, I needed to get back into my own skin, and say a big fat NO, to all that was unhealthy and unholy. 

Residual effects

It took a long time for the residual effects of being mistreated to wear off. I was wounded, felt insecure and distrustful of my own judgment, and needed to regain my confidence. Let us just say (me and you that is), that I am back, and my fighting spirit for the vulnerable, for the hurt and injured, for the abused that have yet to learn that it is not them, it is the abuser that takes cruel liberties, is raring to go. But alas, dear one, I cannot fight for them... they must see things as they are, and go to battle, with the Lord's strength surging within, for themselves. 

Soul solace

I will end with this. My Bible was my best friend day in and day out while I did time at that custody facility. I sought and found wisdom in the Word of God, as my soul solace. I was a prisoner for a short time, while employed there, but I know those days gave me the insights I now have and share, about what is going on in this darkened world. We are only as free as our minds permit. I am reminded of Jesus speaking to a spellbound crowd that had anticipated the Messiahs arrival, but refused to acknowledge Who He was while in their midst:  

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened upon him (Luke 4:18-20)

Jesus preaches to the poor, heals the brokenhearted, delivers captives, recovers our sight, liberates us from the bruisers... and then He sits and watches over us when we realize we can again, soar freely.

Jesus, Still Unpopular

I get it, I GET IT! 

Think with me as I sort some of my thoughts. Jesus said things like, pray for your enemies, forgive to be forgiven, the first will be last and the last first. Be meek, be humble, be kind. Take care of widows and orphans, honour your mother and father; don't lie, steal, fornicate, gossip, commit adultery, divorce, murder ... don't be a hypocrite!

Well I will figuratively be damned (not really, I know I am not damned because I am keenly aware that Jesus died for my sins and since I have a repentant heart, I am saved by God's grace). Talk about cutting to the ego and emotional quick! We are kind of rotten, aren't we, dear reader? It is a tad embarrassing to ruminate on the past with some regret, for doing precisely what Jesus indicates is sinful. 

While walking the earth and within earshot of the people of the day, Jesus said some truly appalling things that grated on the ears and nerves of those that were doing exactly what He preached against. These commanding demands of excellent behaviour and treatment of others were so revolting to the listeners, they plotted to kill Him the first chance they got. He knew what they were thinking, and called them vipers, asking, what have I done to merit your murderous thoughts and attitudes toward me? (I am paraphrasing, but go to scripture, dear reader, I am a mere messenger, not the Word incarnate!).

It is only the guilty, that do not want to change, that don't like to hear what Jesus has to say. His words echo through all time, in fact, wisdom is timeless, so I can speak in present tense regarding what He has to say to us this very day. Thankfully, right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness are measurable, and the standards are God's: they are definitive, meaning we can be motivated to reason away our own errs in judgement, self and other deceptions, and out right lies, but truth be told, when we hold up who we are, to Who He is, we crumple into a heap of melted wax under the heat of scrutiny. 

So I get it, as I said above. Jesus is unpopular, even amongst His supposed fan club! I have to chuckle at the thought of people proclaiming Him as King, when they have gone the way of the earthly king that has them wanting to commit (with not too much encouragement I might add) the spiritually disobedient sins that Jesus precisely spoke against. Lies: liars, fornicators, the avarice ridden, and the emotional cowards of our day, declare their alliances with their behaviours, and they aren't fooling God: we simply cannot fool God ...

I have been reading a plethora of books these days, about human nature and how inclined we are to cultivate pseudo truth that suits our purposes. In other words, we are motivated to make what we want to be truth, acceptable to ourselves and others, including to God, with a little mental acrobatics, twisting facts to accommodate indulgences. We have all done this, so take that finger out of my eyeball!

I have been reformed, and then been dragged backward, and then reformed ... dirtied, rinsed clean, and repeat. We all have, dear one, each time we recognize that we have believed a lie, ours or someone else's, each time we have taken action out of spite, distress, anger our anguish, and each time we failed to take the time, to assess what Truth really is, we have been sullied.

If Jesus really is, the Way, the Truth, and the Life; if Jesus really did speak the words He is quoted as saying, than we had better take a good look at ourselves and ask the questions of where we fall short of being who we can be in the sight of God and within His hearing and reach.

Unfortunately and fortunately, He knows and sees all. The sooner we accept this, the sooner, hopefully, we decide that honouring Him is more valuable than anything telling lies will get us. We are but specs in time, and to the earth we will return, but the soul, dear one, ought to have a chance of soaring on the wings of eagles ...

Stepping out of the fray of fraud and fakery that the world has to offer is a choice. It reduces the likelihood of perpetuating the lies being told, since the risk of participation is also reduced. The temptation to engage will always be there, but history has been very clear ... liars love to make up stuff and bored humans can't wait to read about it. Jesus' suggestions to be kind, loving, and mischief free, may very well be a little too much purity and boredom for the average man, woman, and child. 

I guess I am ready to be bored ... or alternatively, have peace in the midst of the storm of deception that swirls all around us. I will take the Truth God offers, over Luciferian lies, any and every day of the week, from Sunday to Saturday and back again. 

How about you?