Happy Easter

  Two thousand eighteen years ago, a man died a horrible death, the most important man in history, a man who's death we celebrate this weekend, rather than mourn. Usually, when we look back on the life of one of the great people who has passed into history, we do so with a sense of sadness and loss. But this man was different, as his death didn't mean the end, but a beginning. So important was this man, that our modern day calendars are the means of accurately marking time both before his death and after it. Time before his life is recognized as being B.C., and the time that came after his death as A.D. 

  I am speaking of course about of the God-man Jesus Christ. Though the haters of God look to do what haters of all types look to do and are doing still, and that is, to remove statues, and chiseled rock monuments of any kind, many of which have stood for thousands of years, that do not agree with their narrow and wrongful point of view.  but enough about hate. Haters hate, thats just what they do. They have zero tolerance for anything or anyone who challenges what they have been taught to believe. Haters are taught, as it is not their nature, and frankly, beyond their ability, to think for themselves. They are always the product of group think, and soon become a mob rather than a rational group of people.  Just some friendly advice, Stay away from the type who insists on you believing and thinking as they do, as slaves are made in such ways. 

  Today is Good Friday, the day we mark as a most important day. A day not for mourning, but a day where though a terrible one to endure for the man Jesus, was the beginning of the plan as decided by God the Father as the only way to take away the sins of us all. Most all of the religions throughout history required the spilling of innocent blood as a way to atone for the sins and wrong doing of the group. We have all heard the stories of virgins being sacrificed by heathens by slaughtering them or pushing them into a volcano. There is nothing new in some kind of blood sacrifice as a way to appease a god of any kind. Indeed, the ancient Jews were instructed by men through God, to spill the blood of an innocent animal, usually the purest lamb available. Those who couldn't afford a lamb, would buy and offer small animals like birds to be killed and sacrificed for their families. It was by design a gruesome event, as the blood of the sacrificed had to be spilled on the alters of the Synagogue and Temples to impress upon the people of how grievous God saw sin. 

  But God the Father in his wisdom looked because of the love he had for his created people, for a way for the sinful to attain eternity with Him. A way that once done for all was the way of forgiveness for all that had happened and all that was yet to come. So He took a part of Himself, and sent His son Jesus to be born of a virgin, to grow up among us, and to die for us as the perfect and pure sacrifice for all who acknowledged His son as the only way to Himself. (see John 3:16) He, Jesus, came to earth knowing full well that he was to be scorned and ridiculed, beaten and spat upon, scourged till the flesh on his body was torn away, and to finally die nailed to a cross. No greater love could any man have for another, to not only die for them, but to suffer so until death would finally end his suffering. Jesus came into this world to teach the way of God, yes, but he was to be offered up as a living sacrifice, innocent of wrong, a pure sacrifice, done once, and done for all, forever. He came the first time as the Lamb of God, given as a living sacrifice, given as the only way to attain eternal life with God as one in God, as is our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. 

  Therefore, today is the day we recognize as the day that the man Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us all, a sad day yes, but not a day for mourning, but rather of thankfulness. As it was on this day that we are reminded of how great a sacrifice was made for us. How great was this sacrifice? Worse than the beatings and the spitting and all forms of disrespect that He had to endure, was the fact that for what must have seemed an eternity for the Son, he was separated from his Father in Heaven, as God the Father turned His gaze away from his son, as at that moment, Jesus became the worst of what we were, and the worst of all we would be. Jesus became for that brief moment, a murderer, a rapist, a pedophile, and all of the murderous tyrants who were and who was to come. He became at that moment the epitome of the filth of sin, and his Father could not bear to look upon him. Jesus sensing this cried out, Father, my God, why have you forsaken me? Surely, this moment of separation must have been worse than evan the atrocities he had endured. 

  The great news? On the third day he rose from the grave in which they had placed his body, and for a short time joined again with his followers who loved him, teaching them about what had happened so that they fully understood the significance. He also taught them some of the many secret things of God, and then, before rising up in their sight into the heavens, commanded them to, Go out into all the world and spread the good news of the gospel. 

  Keep in mind, that even though some years later, the followers of Jesus's teachings were called Christians, and that from this original group of followers were to give berth to many religions.  True Christianity is not a religion of any name, but rather, calls to the individual to a personal relationship and a steadfast belief in who Jesus was and is. Read and study the bible, and as scripture tells us, meditate on it day and night, for there is no religion of men that can save you. As Jesus himself said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. Happy Easter!

    

   

The Power of Words

  There is no power on earth more powerful than words. It is words that are the greatest influence on mankind, and there is none greater than that of language and the use of words. For it is the use of words that inspire men and women to the greatness and honor of good, and also to the evil that men do. Men do not pick up the weapons of war and go about killing each other, and commit incredible acts of violence and cruelty against one and other without being inspired by the words and thoughts of their leaders. Their words being the source of the peoples willingness to engage in war and the atrocities that comes from war. The incredible acts of violence and hatred toward another people must first come from the people who the people look to as their leaders. Throughout all of human history, it is the well crafted words of evil people that ultimately lead to unspeakable acts of depraved violence between one people against another. Madmen like Adolph Hitler and so many other historical tyrants were gifted orators, with the ability to use soaring rhetoric to inspire their people to violence, and left unchecked, will ultimately lead to the atrocities committed against a people like we saw against the Jewish people in the second World War, and the beheadings and atrocities committed by the modern day Islamic extremists today. Conversely, it is also the use of words and the crafting of language that can stir the hearts of people to rise above the teachings of hatred and the violence taught by those who are evil. Sadly, because of the human condition, that was first shown when Cain killed his brother Abel, it is far easier to use people's natural tendencies to fear people who are different from them, than it is to inspire the best of humankind. People in general, all of us, left to our natural urges and fears, are selfish and self indulged, to the point that we see ourselves and those who think as we do, as being more important than those who we see as different. Thankfully there are others who are much different than the tyrants who care only about their selfish ambitions, and look always to divide the people against one and other to accomplish their evil goals. Strangely, for whatever reason, history recalls the lives and actions of these evil people more so than the few who stand with honor against such tyranny. Most probably because the tyrants of the world look to impose a group think mentality, as did Hitler with the German people, rather than those who look to embolden people to be individuals and think freely and for themselves. Evil thinking people always look to use our natural state of being social beings as the way to introduce a group think mentality, where free thinking people look to champion individuality and free thought, and allow the individual to choose others who are of like mind on their our own volition. By nature, not only are we a social type people, as we think ourselves to be safer in groups and that there is strength in numbers, but it is by this very nature that those who are evil exploit that desire as a weakness. Indeed, individuality and free thought is the enemy of centralized forms of government such as socialism and communism, which can only survive in a group think mentality. Where in our form of government, a Democratic Republic, individuality and entrepreneurship is encouraged along with the growth that such a form of government encourages, namely capitalism that is so despised by the left. 

  Our forefathers who looked to free us from the tyranny that a central government, in our case being a king, also knew, that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And so in their wisdom, looked to form a government where the people had the power, and instilled the only real leader that such a free people could have, that being God. All of our most precious national documents, set in motion on the founding of this great nation, reference God as the only real authority over the people, assuring that we were a free people under God, with certain inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that though we were free individuals and equal by law, that we were one people, under God. So then, what is the power of words? Perhaps it was best said by the apostle John (chapter1, vs. one), in his accounting of the beginning from the book of Genesis. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God".  Our founding fathers knew this, as did Abraham Lincoln later on, and as did in modern times, men like Dr. Martin Luther King, and the most recent great American leader to leave us, Billy Graham. And if we are to continue to be that beacon of freedom to all the world, we must return to our roots, we must return to God.    

Leading from Behind

  Just recently, I was asking myself a question that I have puzzled over for years. The term, Leading from behind that Obama first used. What did it mean, and where did it come from? This is the manor that God often uses to answer your questions. While channel surfing early this morning, I came upon the AHC channel, and it was about Stalin. When the Germans attacked Moscow, Stalin quickly formed a million man army, who marched out with the understanding that they in the front ranks must always move forward. They were warned that their leaders were behind them, with orders to shoot any man who took one step back. Their leaders were behind them, Lead from behind. Karl Marx who came before Stalin would have been proud. Whether or not Stalin was quoting some teaching of Marx, or he had conjured it up himself is unknown, but the sealed college transcripts of Barack Obama is most likely  stacked full of Marxist teachings. The apple of his eye, his father, who he writes about so fondly was a Muslim, and hated the West and all it stood for. He particularly hated Winston Churchill, and that is why one of his first acts in the Whitehouse was to mail the bust of Churchill back to England. 

  The point of all this is not to attack Mr. Obama, we can only hope that history accurately describes he and the eight years that his regime was in power was more than just a conspiracy, but was in reality our nation's first political coup, some prefer bloodless coup. Hillary was to carry the flag forward, but a wonderful thing happened, the American people woke up. It was to be a shoe in, afterall she was promised it was her turn and believed that she couldn't loose. And why not? The Democratic party had the press in its pocket, all the old accusations of racism, sexism, and every other type of isms' or ists' that you could imagine were all in place, and a complicit press was more than willing to use it's constitutionally guaranteed freedom to become propagandists rather than true journalists. 

  So what happened? how could Donald Trump possibly win with all that and a limitless back roll behind Ms. Clinton? Well, if you remember from the first paragraph, I was telling you one of the ways God speaks to us without saying a word, and the answer is like that, but on a much bigger scale. This country was founded on the precepts of an ancient Rabbi named Jesus. So the answer then is what you already expected, and that is that God stepped in, Marxism in all of it's forms outlaws religious freedoms, particularly the Jewish faith in the 20th century, and Christianity in the 21st. For Socialism, Communism, and all such central control forms of government to survive, it must have a lockstep mentality, and that only the government must be worshiped. And there is no room for God and individual freedoms. 

  Make no mistake, this is not over yet, because the biggest threat to our nation's sovereignty is not from outside our borders but within.  We are much to great a military adversary for any nation to even consider attacking us, because before that the target must be softened, and what better way to do that than to separate us and have us fighting with each other. Divide and conquer, a house divided. Do these sayings ring a bell?

Unamed

  There is a rhythm to life, a cadence. I was reminded of this when I caught myself counting the movements necessary to get the new doggie bag of poop into the larger, plastic bag. The things that we do almost without thought, like tying your shoes are done most times to an exact way each time, when we make a mistake in this process, it throws are timing off. Its a cadence thing. factoid I guess? mornin all. 

Super Shame Sunday

  So the day is almost upon us. A one day extravaganza, so huge, that there is talk of making work on the Monday morning after optional. What it used to be was a celebration of the honor and integrity of sport. Team against team, man against man, you give your all, and I will give mine, and the outcome to be winner take all. The game in and of itself is pure, and wherever purity is to be on in the open, it makes the field on which it's played sacred. Football like any team game is loaded with drama, a drama born of competition. The many decisions and adjustments that go on during the game, both for the team and the individuals who play it, is part of the beauty of this game, as it is in any sport. For the fans who love the game, it is meant for them as an escape for a few hours from the rigors of everyday life. Especially so, as an escape from the filth of politics which has so divided this great land. 

  Roger Goodell, (president of the NFL), inadvertently spoke the truth when he said recently, the the game and the field it's played on is sacred, and therefore is no place for politics. Of course in Roger's case, he has twisted the truth in a way to fit his agenda and his political leanings. He has now added fuel to an already burning issue, by refusing to allow a thirty second commercial by the American Veterans association to de aired during his game. 

  Being strictly a PR guy, he is counting on two things to pull this slap in the face to the very people who bled and died so that he and his followers can become wildly rich, while preaching his version of morality on the fans of this great game. First, he is counting on the apathy of the American people, and second, his PR people have assured him that the patriotic sham they have planned for half time will serve to be just enough propaganda to cause the fence sitters to see only the show and it's meaningless words, rather than the actions already taken by him and those players who seem hell bent to bring back the old saying, #Dumb jocks. The premise this false narrative is based on is that racism is still rampart in the country. This after a man of color was elected twice, and virtually all of the highest offices in the land had blacks as it's leaders. The fact that most of these dumb pawns follow the lie of angelic Michael Brown is most probably because wherever they get their news, they have never seen the stores security camera's video account of the assault of a small Philapeano grocer by Michael while his cousin, (the kid who swore Browns hands were raised),  grabbed handfuls of cigars or Slim Jims off the counter. Assuming the store's video hasn't gone the way of Hillary's emails, look it up yourself. This happened just mere minutes before their encounter with the police. The "Hands Up" movement is based on a lie. 

  What can you do about this? Although I don't consider this a call for a boycott, as that is a weapon of the left, I do know that by not watching a game I would like to see, I have in effect voted by my lack of viewership, and cast a vote against those who knowingly or not, look to divide this country. As for me and my house, we vote no, and we won't be watching the game this year.    

Comfort and Joy

  It has come to the point, where all the pieces seem to be in place. A place of privacy and quiet. A place when a man has the time to think clearly. These times are rare, as the hustle and bustle of life, threatens to turn your peaceful state into one of chaos and strife. 

  But anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that for me, I am having, or will have had, one of those precious moments of perfect peace. For how long it will last, only the Lord knows, because that moment of coitous which occurs at the time of connection is a very fragile thing, and so can be lost in an instant. In fact, even though it is early Saturday morning, I thought I heard the sound of slamming doors not too far away. 

  Anyway, make this my Christmas letter to you all. Our country, and it's people are gathering strength each day, pushing hard now, with new volunteers added each day, are rising up against the oppression that reared it's ugly head in the prior eight years. 

  But this is not the time to speak of such things, as now is the time for celebration. For unto us a child was born, unto us a King is given. A manGod, a King, a leader, the hope and the answers so that all may become clear. 

  Christianity is a label, a way of referral, a name. But in a real sense, Jesus is the ant-religion, because religion is the doctrines of men. The Way the Truth and the Life comes from Jesus alone. Religion is imperfect as it comes from someone else's interpretation and because men are imperfect, and often times their well intentioned teachings are wrong. In two days we celebrate the coming of Christ. He came as a savior to all of mankind, a way to the Living God, the only way, the living connection from sinful man to a pure perfect God. But he did not come with fanfare and honor, not with legions of mighty warrior angels, but rather, humble, and hardly noticed. Born in a manger in a stable filled with animals who do what animals do. 

  As we give each other presents, remember that His presence is not just an ancient story, but an actual man who once walked among us, and still does today. Who better to be the link between man and God than someone who knows exactly how hard this life is? But for his reasons, something feels different this Christmas, as even the spiritually dead sense the change, that there is something different. A presence that is palpable, something foreign to them, and it scares them a bit, making them feel ill at ease. 

  What these lost souls don't realize is that Jesus being wholely man and wholely God makes perfect sense. because he, and only he, can link sinful men and women to the pure perfection of God. You cannot learn the truth of what I just told you by following the rules and regulations to be followed as the way to the Lord, religion alone cannot get you there, but you can learn. You start by reading His book. And although the Bible has many writers over thousands of years in history, it has but one author, the Lord God Almighty. If you truly want to find the answers to the difficult questions of life, you need read only one book. He already knows that most of you will chose to not read his book, and that to you it is foolish. But if you choose to seek him with all your heart, he will reveal himself to you more each day. Because Jesus was and still is God's gift to man. With him are the answers, and through him is the way to perfect Love. 

  Merry Christmas all, and look to the coming year with anticipation and hope. For God himself is moving, and there is no reason to fear. The way things have been moving lately, the future is finally beginning to look bright.    

A Painting in a Painting

  Outside not long ago, I was struck by a Hallmark scene. The snow fell soft and quiet, a mixture of snow laced with rain. The sky was completely grey, and I stood for a moment and took the time to enjoy the scene. It was one of those perfect shots, one that had no signs of progress in the way like cars, telephone poles and the like, just God's creation, beautiful and perfect. How perfect you might ask? So perfect that it was as if inside a snow globe. The globe stood alone on a round oaken table, dark stained with the fluted three legs bent out at the bottom on a slight radius forming the perfect tripod support. 

  This table scene is at the center of the painting, while in a shaded room, where an old man stood painting the details of the globe.  The area in which the old man painted was accented by a soft yellow light that threw shadows across the room out from the center. 

  That last line will have to do even though I had planned more detail to the painting. But as I was going along, I suffered storius interuptus, a malady to many I suppose, but the urgency of the interruption was unavoidable. Anyway, one last thing with the layered perspective. You are standing at a distance looking at the painting, so you become the living layer of the completed scene. And if someone should take a picture of you while viewing the art work.., well, that just adds yet another layer, so you can just take it from there on your own. 

  I haven't written on this site for a while, and so for whatever reason, I thought of it like a present to you for this, the Holiday season. Seeing as how we are just around the corner from yet another year, I pray that all goes well for you and yours, and on a larger scale, that Americans continue to awaken from the spell that was cast over this great land, and that we begin again to look for those things that unite us, rather than the division that is likened to our own civil war. I've seen it up close and personal. I lost a childhood friend from it, and just last night, a friend of mine told me that political correctness had divided his family. I guess thats it for now, see you all soon, and have a happy!