Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Another Year

  As we say goodbye to one year, and hello to the next, we look forward with anticipation. The memories of what was this year, become memories of last year, as the time zone rolls around the world. Not too long ago, Sydney Australia has already brought in the New Year with a fine fireworks display. Here in my little corner of the world, millions jam into Times Square to welcome in the New Year in a little less then 9 hours from now.
If you are of the type to make resolutions for the new year, trying to once again change old habits, I wish you good luck! Most people lack the resolve to make those resolutions come true, but will try anyway. Others, have tried and failed so many times before, that they don't even bother to try. I mean, if you are already thinking things like, I wonder how long I will go until I give up this time, you are already beaten. And being honest with yourself, you have excepted that you haven't any resolve when it comes to those things. All hope is lost? We have all resolved to change certain things about our lives, whether it is to finally get serious about loosing weight, stopping smoking, cutting down on cussing, be more out going, being less rude, and all manner of other common maladies. We have all tried, and more often then not, failed.
  But there is one change that I would ask you to consider. A change that if you resolve to change, just by desiring to, you will. A change, that once made, will make all of those other goals much easier to accomplish. Make this year the year you get serious about finding out if God is real or not. If you are thinking to yourself, I don't trust any religion,  that's fine, just take another way. Use science, philosophy, music or art. No matter the vehicle you choose on this quest, it doesn't matter, because if you look with honest eyes, all roads lead to God. As you move forward in your endeavors, you will find time and again, glaring differences, two sides that are as different as one side of a coin is to the other. Things that are alive, and things which are dead. That which is true versus that which is false, it really is as simple as that. Those things which are alive, those things which hold the wisdom of truth, those things which are beautiful to behold. All these things, and all that isn't, all is from God. And as such, once you realize that what we are seeing and experiencing in those things which are true and beautiful as being a glimpse at the Kingdom of God, at that point, knowing the Proprietor is only a moment away. Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Mookie

  It is said, that sometimes, reality is stranger then fiction, and certainly that is true. And so it is, that circumstances in life brought about this story, and it being strange, in that the circumstance at hand had to do with death, particularly, a death in the family. I had been thinking about a fictional account, filled with metaphorical messages to a larger truth. But sometimes, life will give you a story, and this one just fell in my lap? So in this tale I'm about to tell, be assured that every word is true, because it came from an actual encounter.
  As it happened, I had to call an old childhood friend, to tell him of the bad news. And after all the expected sadness was expressed, and proper respect given the subject, we attempted to catch up, as it had been many years since we last spoke. So the conversation turned to more of current events, and just life in general. You who read me might not believe this, but it was he, not I, who brought up politics. I did my best to fend off the issue, but he was persistent. Now my intent in this story, especially because it is true, is to change the names to protect the innocent? So let's just call him by a name he chose for himself, rather then his Christian name. Mookie, yeah that's right, perhaps because he was a Met fan?
Now Mookie was always a kook, even from a very young age, he always did things outside the norm. At around nineteen or twenty, Mook went off to join the Hare Krishna's. In fact, soon after his decision, a bunch of us went to Newark Airport to see him perform in all his garb. But for whatever reason, Mookie's troop was at Idlewild and not Newark?
  Again, since his childhood, Mookie was a non conformist, and so when he first told me these outrageous things, I put it off as nothing more then his quirkiness?  Before his outrageous political beliefs were made known, he spoke briefly of spiritual matters. I could tell by his rhetoric, that he was most probably a follower of Sufi? Sufism is a bastardized form of Islam where you mix it with various Eastern mysticisms. All of which is similar, in that each teaches self awareness, and gives instruction and exercises to achieve this awareness of body and mind. The most obvious of these is Yoga. But all of them talk about inner peace, and a way to spread this newly acquired peace to others. That is why I was so surprised when the Mookster went off on his political tirade! How far left was his thinking? Though I have talked to 9/11 truthers before, I was amazed at what he called on as truth? Not only did the U S government plan and execute the whole attack and murder of it's citizens, but Mookie gave the government a name? He said, " There was real evil in the Whitehouse then, and the Bush family was behind it."  If that wasn't outrageous enough, they, the Bush family, were satanists, and even had an alter for blood sacrifices?? But like I said, Mookie always was a bit of a kook!

Telling Stories | RZIM

Telling Stories | RZIM  One of the best things you can do with your children is to read to them. Better yet, is when that mom or dad improvises a bit, to make it more current and relevant to the children. In stories, are tales of wonder, especially so with children. Their minds are like spunges, and even though they don't understand the concept, parables and metaphors are not lost on them.
  Some of the best stories can be found in the bible, and certainly the children will pick up some wisdom along the way. Though I had long forgotten it, my mother used to read to my brother and I. How I came to remember it, was by the fact that I knew the 23rd Psalm by heart, but had to think as to how? Eventually, I saw in my mind's eye, a memory from long ago, my Mother sitting at the end of our bed reading to us.
  Read to your children, and impart to them a love for the written word.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

A Christmas Dream too

  I had been working on a parody song. One based on the poem The Night Before Christmas. And in it,  instead of a sleeping house, it would have been a sleeping nation. And of course it would have dripped with sarcasm, and be loaded with quips and barbs from a political point of view. But the house of politics is based on lies, and this is not the season for lies, but for truth. A season for Worship, a remembrance of the Prince of all truth, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
  From my family to yours, we wish you all, a very Merry Christmas! And may the new year for you and yours, be filled more with hope and good things, rather then bad. On a more personal note, I want to thank each of you who take time to read these words of mine. It is an honor to have your words considered worthy to be read. An honor that besides all of my kidding, I take quite seriously.
Thank you, and God bless you.

Sincerely,
  A. Edward Schneider
 

A Christmas Dream

  In the land of Nod there is peace. Peace of mind that comes with a piece of solitude, a place where noise and annoyance are far off. The deepest of deep thinking can only occur when the mind is relaxed. When the mind is relaxed, consideration is far more likely then in times of rush. Thoughts from the past come clamoring for clarification, as memories continue to fade with time. But the problems at hand will persist, there is trouble with every day.
  Dreams of the future come wrapped in thoughts of great enthusiasm, or of a personal dread. But either way, it doesn't matter, because unlike the past, there is no experience to draw from. But beyond the thoughts, memories and dreams, lies always the stark reality of today.
  When you stop to think about it, today is really all you have. Make each day forward be of consequence in your life, begin by taking account for what it is you say and do. Refuse to go on blindly, allowing others to set your course. Be your own person, know what you believe and why, Take responsibilty for yourself.
  What you are today, is all that you can take forward into the future. All that you were, and all that you did in the past, doesn't have to be who you will be. Because what you will be starts fresh, and it begins for all of us from this day forward.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Merry Christmas Too

  Now, even though the facts that you have collected for that decision, may seem trustworthy, it doesn't mean that you will be without doubt, because to doubt is a human condition. Doubt comes when the innocence is lost. The fearlessness that comes with innocence is lost the moment we begin to hesitate, and begin worrying about what dangers lie ahead. Don't misunderstand, vigilance is a good thing, but it is only necessary when dealing with this world, because of all the sin around us. To be innocent in a world where there is a wolf around every corner just dieing to rip you to shreds, is a hard thing. But didn't Jesus warn us of such things when he said, Behold, I send you out as lambs against wolves? So this in no way should surprise you. Spoken from his own lips to your ears, not just as a warning, but as a fact. It is a statement of truth, it is how it must be.
  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He has led me beside the still waters, and offered me his peace. I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and it is he who has sustained me. He preserves me still, he holds me up as is his want. I am still in that valley, but I will fear no evil, as he is with me. Still in that valley, and real danger lurks around every corner, but it is he who preserves me, and he who keeps me safe. What is faith? No Fear!

Merry Christmas

  In this holiday season, it is only natural to think about faith. But what is faith, how would you describe it? Well, by faith you accept a lot of things. Unless you are unaware of who your parents are, you accept by faith that they are who they say they are, they are mom and dad. Now faith like this is understood, but have any of you doubted that? Perhaps a few skeletons in the family closet have given you pause?
  But how about something less spiritual and more physical? When you go to sit in a chair, it is by faith that you accept that, not only is the chair there, but that it will support you fully. You do this without thinking, as it is almost always an automatic thing, something that you have done many times, and the chair hasn't failed you yet. You don't take the time to consider it, you just sit down with confidence.
Now it isn't that you couldn't worry about such things, you could, particularly if a chair has ever failed you before. Then, if it were a metal chair, you might think things like, Are there any loose bolts, are all the welds unbroken?
  It is the same with faith in God, all it takes is faith. Christ is the chair that never fails. I know, I can say this with confidence, because I, as is my nature I suppose, challenge everything. So I have tested all the bolts, and checked the solid weld, and have found none of them wanting.  You see, faith comes first from belief, and belief is based on as many facts as you can garner. Belief comes when you have seen that something has more positive facts to support it, then any doubts that you still might have. In short, belief is a decision.  

Thursday, December 18, 2014

And so it was,

  Have you ever had a phrase stick in your head? One that keeps repeating, this one did for me? So I figured that what was needed to follow those words, was a story. A fictional account, but one ripped from the headlines. A tale from the other side of town, and a reason to consider another way? But what is to become of such a story if it is misconstrued? But a story is still just a story, and as such, is needed to be told. You might say, that it is fictional, and so what does it matter, but then again, you might not? But that decision is not the tellers to make, but the reader. A story of consent and consternation, a point of view unwanted?
  Jimmie Simmons was a good kid, everyone from his neighborhood that knew him said so. He idolized his older brother Brad. Though they shared a last name, he and Brad were half brothers, Brad's dad was his mother's first husband.
  But tonight was to be a special night for Jim, as he had just recently turned eighteen, and he had plans to go to the Fraternity party just down the street. He had been twice before with Brad, the first time he had been only sixteen, but tonight he was going alone! Now Brad had always bragged upon how easy it was to get layed at one of these parties. And much to his shame, Jim had not yet had sex, But this will end tonight, he had promised himself. But now, as he was to discover, tonight had become a foggy morning, and he woke up in jail? What had happened he wondered, what is it that I did? He remembered clearly that he had hooked up with an older girl, and he remembered the sex! After that, things became less clear? He remembered that the girl that he had been with was teased about him. The last thing he could remember was being dared by some of the college boys to join with them in a guzzling game. Nothing after that, nothing but a lot of questions and a cold jail cell?

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Dust in the Wind

  Time is infinite, it rolls by a day at a time, by the hour or a minute, depending on the urgency of the moment. What plans we have made, or how we hoped a future event would be, comes and goes almost before we know it? Anticipated and looked forward to with exited hopes, or with a deep dread. But the day comes and goes, you cannot hold it back. It comes for better or for worse, and sometimes it seems it came and went so quickly, that we are no longer sure if it came at all?

  Time is relentless, it flows like an ever racing river, What hasn't been will be, and what is, becomes what was,  in the twinkling of an eye. We think back on the times before, whether good times or bad, it is what memories are made of.

  The power of time is evident throughout the world, Monuments of past civilizations lay rusting in the sand. Great mountains that once were are no more, and new ones burst forth with the winds of change, all as time has dictated.

 What can mere mortals do against in such an onslaught, how are we to stand against time? We are nothing to time, nothing as the eras of eons go by, little more then dust in the wind.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Headlong to your Death

  So what is it about time that I have not told you? It is something I came upon while spending yesterday with my daughter and her family. You might say that it was of perverse things, that is to say, what we were discussing, was time in reverse. What if, as every year came to pass, that you got a year younger, rather then a year older? Then for you, time would be running backwards. Each year you are getting younger, you are regressing to your berth, rather then headlong to your death.

 Now, before we go and play this little game, we should lay a few ground rules first. You will find in this exercise, that memory will become a strange thing? Because as you regress backwards into time, you will have memories from the past, and the future you just left. That is how it is when you think in the spirit.
  Now in all honesty, my first inclination was to think that I'd fix all the wrongs I had committed along the way, certainly the ones that left me un-wealthy? But what would be the point? Because in the reality of that moment, all I'd be trying to do, is to undo the things that I already did. Time travel can be so confusing?
  Besides just being a mind game, there is a serious lesson here, certainly one worthy of your consideration. This type of thing is not only a bizarre kind of thought, but it is something quite real, something that all of us will be able to do, once we have passed over to the other side. But now here's the real mind blower! Why would you spend too much time looking at a few years, when you have all eternity to investigate? Those of you who know Christ need to be thinking this way, and for those of you who don't? You had better make up your mind soon, because this train is about to leave the station!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

God at Terminal Five

God at Terminal Five  Certainly there is a lot of suffering, too much is what most all of us would say. It comes in many forms, and too often those who suffer, do so in silence. Not to be a burden, not wanting to complain. But it is a basic human instinct to want to tell our story to someone. Beyond that, what we really want is someone to listen, someone who is willing to put aside their own problems for a minute, and listen to someone else's. Often times, this is when people are the most susceptible to common sense, after they have reached the point of thinking that there is little point of trying anyway, and hope fades by each day that their affliction is all there is for them. They become their sickness, they embrace it like an old friend.
  Physical trouble, in the form of sickness is the most obvious of personal problems, that all go through at some time, whether it is themselves who is suffering, or someone close to them. Along with this suffering, if allowed to go on in private, comes a bigger problem, that being a sickness of the soul. This type of suffering is not so easily recognized as is the physical, although in reality, this sickness of the soul is far more dangerous. What's the point of all this? If you look for them, there are a lot of such opportunities to tell a person who is most apt to need telling, that there is hope, a greater hope, a hope everlasting.  

Monday, December 8, 2014

Breaking In

Breaking In  Some may find that what it is that I am about to tell you has little to do with Jill's article, or that this is not the time or place for such comments? But I assure you, that I do feel it is very important. In her article, she makes mention of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a solid man of God. Martyred by the Nazis just months before the war ended. But here's the thing. The parallel between what went on in pre-war Germany, and what is now being attempted in this our time, in this country is frightening!
  Hitler used the Jews and anti-semitism to divide his countymen, where this administration uses race, financial standing, and a percieved sexism as it's tools.

Friday, December 5, 2014

A Natural Thing

  After all the excursions of the day are done, and all the chores completed, all the people who you needed to talk to have been spoken to. After all the pleasantries needed for politeness sake have been said. Finally, ease can become you. Like an old familiar blanket, the warmth of calm begins to embrace you, You are alone with your thoughts, no one else to deal with, and all of the conversations are done for the day. Peace and quiet, no one on your mind to impress. No more thinking of anything other then yourself, This is your time!
  At times like these, when the comfort and safety of home, finally give you peace of mind. It is a natural thing, to think back and remember the goings on of the day just done. and Questions come to mind, Did I handle things right, did I say the right thing? Maybe I should have handled it the other way?
  But there is a peace beyond even this point of relaxation. It comes when you allow yourself to not think any more about the mundane trappings of the day before. What you are doing by releasing those thoughts, is clearing your mind. Now if you can do this, and you have gotten this far, you have done well. Take a deep breath through your nose, and release it all at once from your mouth. Now pick out a point of focus, it can be something physical, or that question that you have often thought about? If you have become fixated by something in the room, you can think about it. Why was it made, what is it for? How has it been manufactured, what makes it work, what gives it it's strength?
  How did this thing come to be, who made it and why? What purpose does it serve, could the world live without it? What would the world be like without it? Look to the way it was made, look past the intricacies of it, and look to find the simplicity of it's design.
  In a very short time, you will astound yourself, by all that you have learned, and by how much you now know, about something that only hours ago, you knew nothing about. And all of this without anyone teaching you, you did it on your own, alone, and all by yourself!  

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Are we a racist nation?

  Now both sides of the coin call out for a honest debate on race. So, let's have that debate. In order to do this properly, both sides, grudgingly or not, can't help but agree that we have come a long way baby! This is to our credit, because once we as a nation realized our injustice, we looked to correct that injustice. We, have long ago, cast off the shackles of legal racism, but to really understand where, and why we are where we are today, we have to start at the beginning. Berthed less then three centuries before, we are still a young nation. A young nation when you compare us to the longevity of other nations, and the empires that existed long before us.
  The United States of America was founded on the grandest and most common desire of all men anywhere. We looked for freedom, and so our founders, looked to leave the Monarchies of old Europe far behind. Most, if not all who followed looked also to that noblest of dreams, the dream to be free!
But in order to achieve this freedom, we had to set in place a government that wasn't ruled by elitist families, but rather by the every day people. Who would elect from themselves, people who would represent them and their concerns in the pursuit of that freedom. The problem came in, when as a people, we made mistakes along the way, as any new government would, especially, with one with so radical an idea as it's base. The founders were wise enough, to form our new Democratic Republic government, on the firmest of all foundations, we were formed on the precepts of a Holy God.
  But along the way, as is common to a teenager's point of view, things became confusing, jumbled up, until we reach this time in our history, where things have gotten reversed. So bad has it become lately, that people are all to willingly give up the very freedoms given them, that have been paid for over and over again, by the young blood of it's citizens.
  If you were to look for reasons for this phenonomon, we can look to the most obvious in today's life, the onset of the internet, and the social media explosion it spawned. News, 24/7, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, news, all the time, news, right up in your face! The result of all this information, is that we have all become like a deer in the headlights, frozen, unable to move, even though we can see our impending death bearing down on us like a run away truck! So, how is it that we are to have this honest discussion about racism? First, we need to recognize the players, separating those who look to profit from it, from any actual victims. Who is it that now so shamelessly sells racism, and what is their real motive for doing so? In short, ask yourself this, Who is the new KKK? Is it the wimpy white folks, who still cling so desperately to a white guilt fostered by the racism of over 50 years ago? Who now, however unknowingly, only forward the new racism? Is racism only white against black, or can black people too be racist against whites? Who is the new KKK? Certainly, it isn't hard to find the culprits. Fools like Al Sharpton, and the king of hate mongers, Louis Farakhan and his minions, the new black panthers, and the like. You must be very careful who you listen to in this debate, because what is really at stake here, what it is they see as the answer, is only another form of the very Monarchies we looked to leave behind almost three hundred years ago.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Courage to Wait

The Courage to Wait  This one speaks loudly for me. I absolutely hate to wait! It stems mostly from what my wife would say is an acute lack of patience. If patience is a virtue, I am glad that there are others, because admittedly, I have very little patience. If I am patient at all, it is because I am tying to be polite, it is a conscous decision that I must make. Case in point. When I bank at all, it is only to go to an ATM machine for cash. Most people are quick about it, so if there is a person already in line, I do wait patiently. But on those occasions when you have a person who is so lazy, that they are going to sit in their car, and feed the machine one written check at a time. Patience, at least my patience is then pushed to the limit! Why do that in a line meant for speed? Why not go into one of the other lines, where you can hand all of that paper work to a teller? Now that person is not only lazy, but rude, and he or she has no respect for the people who wait behind them. At this point, lack of patience will soon become anger, and unless something doesn't give, I know myself well enough, that I'll usually just go and try later. It's either that, or ease Betsy up on the guy's bumper, and push the rude fool out of the way!
  Now no such option is open when we wait on the Lord. He's one guy, who you just can't push. Still, fully aware that things are very much not in your control, we can pull away there too, giving up on acomplishing whatever task we hoped to complete. Which when dealing with God, is never a good thing. Apparently, His timing doesn't always align itself with ours? Maybe because he is on eternal time, where we are all 60 second men?