Invictus

Storm in a Tea Cup

Invictus is a great stand out poem written by a successful writer who lived an incredibly difficult short life. While the poem itself is in no way atheistic  the author was a hearsay atheist which has set not a few Christians aflame.

Thereby they forget the commandment of Jesus to love everyone, particularly their enemies. ( There is a reason for this I might save for later.) Instead many Christians mock the poem, point out that the writer was a poet who wrote only one poem.

I understand that Clint Eastwood made a successful film about it which was favorably inspired by Nelson Mandela.

There are Christian pulpit talkers who point out their doctrinaire disagreements, suggesting the many  followers of Jesus who deserted Him because He said no one could come to God unless God draws them.

Also Paul was told that God's grace was sufficient for him. Paul responded by saying that this life's momentary suffering was of little account compared to the wonders of eternal heaven. 

Many early martyred Christians chose suffering in order to get a better reward in heaven.

Logically Christians, in my view, take the poem Invictus out of context, creating a different content in the process. Mostly a storm in a teacup resulting no love for one's enemies.

I once wrote Christians should not be drawn into any argument when the world was created since we are not of this world, we are of heaven. There is no time in eternity. It is all present tense. It was all a debate conceived by the devil to spin Christian's wheels.

If anyone insists in believing in Jesus despite the devil's efforts he will settle for weakening Jesus power if he can. I am staying with Jesus. But maybe I better should take my own advise and no more chewing of disagreements.

Belief Not Proof Pleases God

God does not accept any proof, since proof eliminates any need for belief, the only power that pleases God is belief. 

Praise is gratitude

Gratitude is Love

Whenever I want to praise God to lift myself up, my seek is often in Psalms, favoring ones in the nineties.

A little pop dog

 When I said recently I would like to be wherever Jesus was, like a His little pup dog. I was somewhat reticent,  wondering about the propriety of my remark. But I was unaware at the time of the Psalmist who wrote that he was like a flourishing olive tree in the house of the Lord. Perhaps I am somewhat of a stiff neck. Click to today's Manna

Objectifying the subjective

Playing Let's Pretend Pastor 

I have found I do not explain what I believe in the word of conversation equal to the same as the printed word. Whereas in the printed word I can objectify my thoughts, I cannot be as clear in conversation.

This is why I favor small groups talking together more so than in large groups all facing one speaker as every one else are rigid in silence. It all resembles the duplication of a sermon in formal worship services.

I think it promotes silent subjection among participants never to become comfortable objectively explaining themselves by witnessing to others. 

Focusing on Diligently

Only Way to Please God

 I am taking it straight to the word diligently lel righit lel! like a drill sergeant marching my platoon into the dark of the early morning.

My life has not been particularly diligent so far. Time has run over me like a wave of water wasting me away. Time has fooled me, lulled and measured me for a exspiring box, all when I wasn't loooking.

Speaking for time itself, that is all time is, is a measurement. A measurement between two positions in an orbit between me and a more charismatic entity.

It is not enough for me to seek God if I am not.....diligent!

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of my hope

and Evidence of All Things Unseen

 Altho the the definition of epiphany is a sudden revelation perhaps I am not exactly correct in my terms because in my case I could not to make head nor tail of what unexpectedly came to me.

I was coming home from summer Bible school and the exact scene is still fixed in my memory. Suddenly without warning the clear as crystal words came into my mind. "God is existence".

I had no idea of what it meant and further no curiousity to figure it out either. I did not know it was in Exodus as I am that I am.                             

The word epiphany however has its origin within the experience of the Wise Men following the star to the incarnation of Jesus as the Son of God, with the power to establish others as the sons of God.

I speak exclusively for my own benefit the same as everyone else. In my case it is to significantly increase my faith. I will hopefully  better evaluate my progress after the Holy Days. I am so far very expectant by changes moving within me. 

Facing the Convoluted Collusioner

I had what I thought at the time was a recurring dream during my first decade that gave me the conviction I would one day know something vitally important that I could not share with anyone. 

I came to wonder whether the devil was involved because mid decade my very first dream was of the devil, who as a fox was biting sharply my ankle while speaking without loosening his painful  grip. This all after I told him he was just a dream, that he wasn't real.

But believing I was invisible he primarily passed me by. Can it be seen where all this was leading? Right now, because of the worries and cares of this world, I have to zip off before I review experiencing my first sudden revelation, objectively known as an epiphany.

Time Eventually is Solid Sad

The Too Waste of Time Forever

Time as it passes by me has seemed extremely sad slipping away. And after building me up, threatens to grindingly wear me down like a flower wilting during a night time.

It does not matter if the dimming memories are happy or not. In fact the happier can be the sadder. It does not help that heaven promises us eternity in a never ending present tense.

Funny how it strikes me now. I was right there in the congregation during a sermon when a little boy, I sense about eleven, was told by the preacher his little dog could not be with him in heaven because he did nor have a soul. The dog that is!

A pet dog is not only very loving, but also very forgiving. Whatever kind of memory is it being promised to that boy? A heaven without his dog?

Samuel Clemens commented, I remember reading on this very subject when he said there were commonly many dogs who would d get into heaven well before more than that many people. 

I guess there are many more young people, who like me got off to a bad start in churches. Me all the while piling up perfect attendance awards being drilled to death with messily executed mind numbing coloring books.

Once upon a time always in my memory.

Favored Among Favorites

 High Priestly Prayer

John 17 is the chapter where Jesus prays for Himself the night He knew was to be betrayed and crucified while His watching discipled slept.  

Jesus

I would have thought what happened to my mother while reading in Galatians would've descended upon her while reading John 17. She read it every morning.

I was present once when my spirit was under the logical fallacy of the misplaced authority. She told me I would change but I was also under that cloud when the truth cannot be told by those who know.

John 17 is not particularly long but Jesus uses the word sent exactly six times. God sent Jesus. One other reoccurring concept stressed is the word "one". 

Jesus deliberately stresses "one" three times and I find it hard to avoid thinking of the Triune God which is, of course, is the Holy Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as the Trinity. 

Dancing on the head of a pin with

The Quoteblokes

Poets did not always have music. Novels were published in three volumes. It is harder to write a novel in one volume, and even harder to write a short story. 

 Then too it was still harder than that composing a good lyric like Stardust. or the tinkling piano in the next apartment comes to mind. 

But it even harder than that is to write a good quote. And double harder to write a double snapper. This one is most often credited, in our experience, to the actress Ingrid Bergman.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

Favorite Verse in Manna

Her Favorite Verse Found!

This was not my personal favorite verse, but I have since adopted it from another person who was in her nineties at the time. 

She told me she might forget this verse (her verse) and she, with great emotion pleaded with me to remember it for her. 

I had no idea where it was or wasn't, not being a chapter and verse person especially then so I never said I would or wouldn't. I was drifting at the time.

Wherever the verse was she told me while she was reading this verse an extremely intense, what she described, she was overcome with an ecstatic emotional experience. 

A sort of emersion began at the top of her head and slowly came down over her to just below her shoulders. It reminded me, later the way she was putting it, like a baptism. 

All I did remember from it was that it was something  about the fruit of the spirit. I never imagined I could ever rediscover that verse again especially so quickly and so easily. But I did and so for "the rest of the story" what I briefly already wrote about it, click on Manna.