empire and the power of one ..

sometimes a person can become disparaged just by reading/watching the 'news', and thinking about this dread world ..
capitalists looking to step on whoever so that their own brand of 'the strong survive' flourishes, spreading their econothink to other nations through pipelines of the mighty US$
religionists stepping on each other to prove whose god is god, at times using weapons to drive home their particular brand of truth
money moving powers into and out of power,
the wealthy dexterously investing to extend their wealth to become more wealthy, often at the cost of people ..

empires all
   forever guarding their turf, allthewhile looking to expand and extend, to powerfy themselves

and allthewhile the less fortunate, the less rich, the less powerful suffer as pawns in the game, shifted from square to square, eaten and disposed of, sacrificed as needed to achieve the strategy of domination and subjugation, power at any cost ..
allthewhile some 90+ % of humans are deprived of one thing or another in the realm of basichumanneeds

it's a deadening dance that numbs the soul; a slow-motion explosion that ravishes the ecosystem and the humansystem, that leaves nothing sacred, nothing unworthy of sacrifice for the ultimate god - ownership/domination/power
the need to segregate
to dominate
to rule over
to be somebody
... .

¿ and then, to whom will all those things belong ? after you have built your empire, and the God of all the Earth requires an accounting of you
of us
of me  ?

it's a ruinous environment that will suck the very life out of a person, bringing with it depression and ultimately a what's-it-all-for resignation
perhaps a deathwish ..

¿ how do i, a one-person, staunch that typhoon looking to drown the worldasweknowit
while we enclose ourselves in our own little empires
of homespace
community
church

¿ what on earth can I do?
I, like me like
little inconsequential me
amid that absolutely intimidating avalanche of madness

war looms on every news channel
people die in staggering numbers every day, every hour, for bombs and their aftermath of disruption disease disparagement and depression, hunger and thirst, the need for shelter from that badnasty storm of empire, destroying everything that stands in its path

death and destruction

? what can i do .. ? ??

for one thing
   i can help the one that crosses my path
      rather than looking the other way, or pretending i didn't see
         or pretending I didn't
      or excusing my self for one reason or another
for another thing
   i can pray for peace
for another
   i can encourage those around me to do likewise

basically i can try to be like my master
take his approach
follow his Way
not giving in to the madness and the stress
remembering always that he opened the door and stands there smiling

.. that's the ray of Sonshine that breaks through the darkness
the kingdom of God advances
slowly maybe, mustardseed like
but advance it does
through the likes of us
each one of us
one by one
.. even me 

renewing my vows .. -|-

sometimes we speak too quickly

promise something we haven't thought-through diligently

make some vow

most times we're too young to respond maturely

but then we grow older

some of us wiser too

and we consider more carefully the thing we promise

and the things we promised

..  . .      .

sometimes we get a second chance

always cool when that happens - another chance

maybe this time 

   i'll get it right

maybe

i'm going to try ..

engagement .. -|-

i recently posted on prayer
   here http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2014/07/pray.html

another step in that direction ..

back in the day, when moses was the man, there came a time when God said he was done
done with this rebellious, complaining, thankless, hopeless people
israel
it's somewhere along and about Exodus 32
' i'm done ! ' , he says
' i'll destroy them all and begin again with you, moses .. '
like, wow !
really ??
i guess God must really have been peeved
.. yuh think ??

moses, revered among the Jews as the Lawgiver, would have none of it .. . .
just in case you missed that .. moses took God on
face-to-face, so-to-speak
he told God there was no way he could do that
' think about what that would do to your reputation among the nations '
' what kind of a god would that look like - deserting your own people ' ?
or something along those lines .. seriously .. read it

guess what .. God entertained moses' argument
he considered what he had to say
and he changed his mind
actually, if memory serves me correctly, he went another step and told moses to lead them
like, ' ok, i'm done; i won't do that; you can handle it, moses. i'm out '
and moses took him on again
' that's not good enough, Lord
if you're not in, i'm not in
you have to go with me
you have to be there, in this, leading us ' ..

... . . .    .

i was raised in a God-fearing church
you just don't say those things to God
you don't even think it ..
perish the thought !

or ... not

so, i know moses was the man
i know he is highly revered among the Jews
i know he was used by God to humble Egypt, and to lead Israel out of bondage
   ( a consistent theme with God in the Older Testament )
i know
so one might say ' he has more right to say something like that to God ' ..

maybe
or ... not

see, i have this thing that's come to me in recent years, and it's this ..
God wants us to approach him in that manner
he wants us to engage him
passionately
persistently
pounding relentlessly on his door, like that willnotquit woman who refused to let the judge be in peace until he heard her case, gave her satisfaction - Jesus spoke that parable

we want to excuse ourselves of not treating God like he's a real person by refusing to engage him
pretending he's too awe-some to entertain our gripes
too highandmighty for us to approach
he might strike us down with a lightening bolt for our presumption ! ( i used to actually think that )

it's like we're refusing to be real about the God we say we serve
maybe another way we like to talk God, but don't live it
our 'beliefs' are not reflected in our actions
again

but, dare i say, God is quite unlike that
i am convinced that God's desire is for us to treat him like he is a person that can be approached
that he wants to hear me
   not only my ' requests '
   but also my complaints
      my grouses
      my bewilderment and don't-understands and why-is-this-happening to me's ?!

Jesus showed us that God is Dad, Abba
that he wants to relate to us as children
he so desires our relationship
our dependence
our persistent engagement
daily
on-going like

God wants to be wanted
God wants to be needed
God wants to be respected
God wants to be consulted
God wants to be in

he wants to be an integral part of my life
such that when i'm hurt the first place i go is to him
when i'm downhearted, or burdened, or depressed, or confused, or angry, or bewildered, or suicidal, or lost, or forsaken, or lonely ..
when i'm overjoyed, or happy, or excited, or encouraged, or blessed, or just-got-a-job, or found my lover, or the money came in!, or simply enjoying the beauty and smells and tastes of nature

.. i tell him about it
dad-like
like i rush home 'cause i can't wait to tell my mum .. like that
... .. .     .

when i go to other people for their opinion
and leave God out, or leave God to last-recourse ..
fail

when i read books
or watch videos
or dance all around the vegetable garden in anger or frustration to try to solve this or that problem
and, in effect, diss God
that is tantamount to a slap in his face

i am convinced that God wants me to be engaging him

when i can't see how this could be happening !
i've given my life to try to do what it is i think you want
and i'm sooooo lost
   i feel forsaken
   where are you ??!
   why won't you answer ?!
   how can you leave me here like this, God ?!

do it !!
i dare you
i double-dare you

step up to God and tell him precisely what's on your mind and in your heart
and ask him for a response
let God know that he has responsibility in the matter
remind God of who he is and what he has asked of you
and throw your hands up in frustration
demanding a response
' you asked this of me, and now look where i am !
if i've done wrong, if i've offended you, if i've misrepresented you - then tell me !
i will make amends as best i can
but don't just leave me here like this ! '

do it

God wants it from us
he longs for that relationship that smells of sweat and has dirty hands and feet
.. and needs a diaper-change

he can take it, you know
he's God

.. and he's our dad

my nameday ..

when your namedate cycles around it's worth remembering that there are particular combinations of cosmic forces in play that played-in when you drew firstbreath
that may not be as insignificant as we tend to think, or as ungodly

the cosmos at large does affect us
most recently in my experience, the moon
   especially in the case of those who sleep outdoors

point is for me to be particularly aware of the way i am on my nameday
the way i feel
the memories that float to the top
the deja vu's
the sensations that surface

that's the environment i was born in
and it speaks to my soul

it's probably well-worth it to dwell there a bit, to meditate on it
let my soul fly a bit

choose alonetime
and do it

settle
balance
centre

reboot
refresh
rehuman
re-Jesus

.. .      .

i thank you, my Lord, for each breath
each twitter
each flutter of cool breeze
the dancing sunlight on the table, chased around by the leaves
the oceanview, way over there

this place of refuge from the daytoday

away
alone
at least for a bit

i miss my friend
i wish he were here to share it with me
maybe one day soon

= ..

classify

somehow we gravitate towards marking people
white or black or brown
red or blue
first world or third world
christian or muslim or buddhist or jew or atheist or agnostic
wealthy or poor
addicted
gay  . .    

when we go there
we are, in effect, running comparisons
setting up hierarchies
good vs bad
allowed vs rejected
in vs out

.. . . . . .. .

remember the apple

..      .

the human penchant for judging is one of the things Jesus came to justify
   as in set straight
he lived and breathed equality
evenhandedness
fairness

his primary teaching was this
- love the Lord God with everything you got
- love your neighbour as you love yourself
      translate that into ' do for others as you want them to do for you '
these, he said, encapsulate the entire old testament

that means somehow i walk past my categorizing
dismiss my natural bent to draw lines
and embrace everyone

not easy, that
in fact it runs counterclockwise to my nature

i figured i had this equality thingy in tow
i wasn't one of those people that judged and categorized people ..

and then i woke up
i started being conscious of my thoughts
   the ones i was pretending i wasn't conscious of
and i had to admit to me
i was
still
after all this time ..

and i feel sick
fail

i'm turning this and that over in my waytoosensitive mind
taking offense
   and listen, i'm not to be easily taking offense
   there's a clause in the classic baptist covenant -
      ' to be slow to take offense, always ready for reconciliation '
   that's to be my attitude

so i fail
judging others rather than judging my self
i need to be changing that

see, God values each one far above what i can know or understand
   i only know that Creator Word became a man, and sacrificed himself for humanity
      for each one
and mine is to honour that
... . .    .

and that's where the spirit of God comes in
overruling my spirit
   when i allow
directing me in love
to love
regardless
unqualifiedly

sometimes i judge simply based on how a person looks
or smells
or speaks
or ..

i have to rest that
stop the boxing
people don't fit well in boxes

they do fit in the category of the imago dei though
they reflect something of the image of the Divine
at least a little
somewhere, maybe deep inside
but it's there
it's there
mine is to accept them as that
and look for that image
search for it like some fine gem waiting to be discovered
for the glory of the Creator God whose image they bear

he loves them
just like he loves me
i hang my hat there
that is my galvanizing impetus in the face of my rabbi, Jesus

if i cannot bring my self to be like Jesus in this
be moving steadily in that direction
fail

mine is to love
regardless
without the judgement
.. unqualifiedly

followup to last post ..

regarding the last post, read this ..

http://www.redletterchristians.org/american-church-community-solves-immigration-crisis/

church and the poor ..

while we work to change the mind of society
while we work to change government
on the issue of poverty and homelessness ..
? shouldn't we be, like, looking to do Jesus ?

and Jesus didn't expect anybody else to help the poor .. except us
as in me
he didn't motivate people to social action through the politics of politics

it's my understanding of things-Jesus that it is us, his Body, that should be caring for these people
we should be
us

and when we fail at that
we fail at Jesus
we can't pass it off on others
it's our responsibility
¿ how come we allow others to outdo us in this merciful gracious caring demonstration of humanity at its best
exposing the imago dei .. ?
..

there's a place for soliciting the powers-that-be, and some of us need to be involved in that
but the major effort should be on the ground where we pull together and pool our resources to meet the needs of these ' the least of these ' as part of our commitment to the kingdom of God
the kingdom that's spelled ' beatitude ' , as in Matthew 5-7
the kingdom that colours life in this world with a different brush-stroke, different pallette

growing-up in fundamentalist evangelicalism, the ' social gospel ' was a no-no
we were to be concerned with the spiritual condition of our neighbour, and leave the physical and environmental conditions to others
ours was to convert the spirit, feed the soul

except ... Jesus' worldview was decidedly different
it attacked the inequities
shouldered the burdens of the poor and unfortunate
attended to the ill
fed the hungry ..
alongside his teaching and preaching the ' kingdom of heaven ', the ' kingdom of God ' ..
in fact, methinks the two are wisely, intricately interlaced

obviously i've adjusted my theothink
it is not only difficult to preach the kingdom to a hungry person, it almost flies in the face of humanity
and Jesus was everything the human
he was the real deal, the embodiment of the intention of creator God ..
he was creator God
       ( bang your head around that for a few; it'll rattle your soul for sure )
. . .    ....

so then
? why aren't we doing all we can ?
all we can do
pulling all the stops
getting together in the name of Jesus to help the hurting ..

? why ?
answer: we're not reflecting Jesus
not being the fragrance of Jesus
not doing Jesus, who said
' a person has no greater love than to lay down his life for a friend '
and ' to find life you have to give it up, lose it '
and ' the second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself '
and ' how can you say you love me yet not do what I say '
and ' don't worry about your stuff; put the kingdom first and that stuff will come, God  will take care of you '
.. stuff like that

at the end of the day i need to be reflecting and effusing Jesus through my life
and that, to me, anyway, means i give it up for others
especially ' the least of these '

it's not that i live to lighten the burden of people through social action
it's that i live to find the imago dei in the eyes of each
and to allow them to see the same in me
that way, we see Jesus in each other
and maybe, just maybe, they will give their life to Jesus
doing the same to their neighbour
isn't that what it's all about after all ?

and that defines ' c h u r c h '
the purposeful association of Jesus' followers to shine-out the kingdom at ground-level, here in my neighbourhood
seems to me that enlisting the government in that is a much narrowed view of kingdom
and a misleading one to boot ..

we
as in us
me
we need to be doing it now, here, today
tomorrow is for someone else, not me anymore
'sides, noone knows what tomorrow will bring forth
or whether their soul will be required of them tonight
and then, what will become of these, our little empires ?

the harvest is full-blown, perhaps moreso now than ever
the labourers few
pray and do

.. in that regard
why is it so damned difficult for the various manifestations of the Body of Christ to join hands in a circle around the hurting, the poor, the parentless, the houseless, the needy
and pool our resources in our own neighbourhood to lighten their load, sharing the burden
sharing their burden ?
why ?
why ??
why ???

i fear we're playing politics
   whether social politics or religious politics
i fear we fear committing ourselves
i fear we fear losing our buildings, our well-earned place in the society to which we minister
i fear we fear losing the support of whatever's left of the middle class and the wealthy who support us financially, thereby bowing to the ' love of money '
losing our own little empires
i fear
   we are afraid

might i suggest the man i ( we ? ) follow
had nowhere to lay his head
shucked corn in the field when he was hungry
lived off the kindness of his friends ..

who made us any better than he ?

a disciple is not greater than their master
but they can be like their master
.. go
and do like-wise

outside the normal = homeless

much of what we know and learned as christians revolves around ' normal ' life
the messages and books and theological whatnot address average people
sorta like middle classish
career
auto
house
family
da dee da . ..

how different the world of the homeless
i am regularly surprised by my naivete
   which speaks to my naivete
including my having to backburner my assumptions about what people know, where they're coming from, their mindset about society and life in general ..
and that challenges the norm for christian witness in the 21st century

i'm not dealing with normal
so when you sit in your pew ( or auditorium seat ) and open your bible and listen intently to the preacher and join the band music and buy the latest church tee and hit a starbucks on the way through the foyer .. .
you are not normal to the people i deal with
their normality is quite different

and no wonder it is
they have nowhere to lay their heads
   and sleep is usually sporadic, waking often to check their surroundings and that their stuff is safe
they eat what they can get their hands on
wear used and discarded clothing
shower when they get the opportunity

are diss'ed by the regular society
considered a drain on government resources
assumed to be lazy donothings
or addicts
or thieves

they are the margin, far from the center of what-is-considered-to-be the norm for life on planet earth in these united states
   and most other places
the margin
   the edge of the page that permits a small space for occasional notes
   and, by its existence, lends honour to the main text

the homeless allow the majority of us to feel like we're safe
while they lose their sense of self-respect
watch themselves be avoided
   scoffed-at
   berated
   trashed
...

when i'm communicating or relating in any way with my homeless friends i have to constantly bear in mind who these people are
understand ( what little i can ) their life-condition
that what seems to mean a lot to me matters little to them
and what matters little to me means a lot to them

so that when they're ' off  ' in their behaviour, askew in their attitude
mine is to remember they slept outdoors again last night
again
like for the umpteenth night
under the stars
and the moon

we can't communicate with these people like we do with most of the other people we know
our assumptions are often invalid
we need to be engaged in their world somehow
open to their thinktype
willing to learn from them
wanting to understand them

them
' the least of these '

¿ isn't that what Jesus said ?
¿ isn't that what Jesus did ?

a servant is not greater than his master
but a servant can be like his master

go and do likewise
for in each one is the imago dei
and in some of these homeless friends the Son's face shines far brighter

bashing Jesus in the public square ..

hasn't Jesus been tortured enough ??
his life was sufficient to that
especially considering this was the one who created all things ..

yet we ' christians ' continue to flog and bruise him, crucifying him to ourselves all over again
bringing shame to his name
   and to his kingdom, which already is working against phenomenal odds

Jesus' religion was one of mercy peace healing
   reconciliation
      a spirituality grounded in love
on this at least we should all agree
  ?  ?         ?

yet there are those cross-wielding tract-distributing streetcorner-megaphone inyourface prophets
they embarass God in the public square
making him out to be some stern square ogre planning the torture of unrelenting humans
and foisting that on people without their permission

one such person plies his trade around here
wielding a large white cross like it was a broadsword
... or a wand
one person who witnessed his display on main street described it like he was casting a spell on people
he'd walk by folk eating at roadside restaurants and point the cross at them, almost as if he was striking them with it, allthewhile mumbojumbo rolling off his tongue
in the name of God ?? ??

there are others
possibly most famous are the ones that become blatantly loud and argumentative, aggressive when they get drunk
they're the most ardent defenders of God in the public space ..
i wonder if those are some of the ones Jesus referred to when, claiming they did this and that in his name, said to them
   ' who are you ? i never knew you; depart from me ! '
      note the exclamation mark

listen
while apostle paul does say that the gospel is an offense
he didn't mean i am to be offensive
he meant it confronted the 'wisdom' of the Greeks and the 'religiosity' of the jews
it was a socially and religiously inverted truth
   that confounded those in the know, and upturned religious tables
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.. ( 1Corinthians 1.22ff )

that is a far cry from the loud judgemental aggressive foulsmelling filth that emanates from the spirits of these modern prophets
that creates a stink in God's nostrils
and you can feel that spirit where they are

God is forever-on seen most perfectly in the person of Messiah Jesus
whose only regular contention lay in the very religion that claimed to be for God
whose leaders plied their holiness like some supreme court
condemning and decrying and slamming their scriptural gavel on the heads of the ordinary person

we must work
with Jesus
for Jesus
in the name of Jesus
under his banner of love
for the love of our neighbour

for the love of our neighbour

accepting
embracing
caring
sharing

people don't have to listen
they have a choice, and we need to allow them the freedom of their choice

we may speak into people's lives only when we earn that right
never apart form it

may the love of God move us
and only the love of God
always

someone recently wisely said ' he's preaching to himself '
those people have something to prove, some insecurity to overcome, some god that's going to beat them if they don't spout their foulness
and they're trying to prove it to themselves ..
sad, that

follow Jesus

a step, then another ..

" keep me in your prayers. I'm going to start AA meetings and find a job; been messing up.. "
another step in the right direction for a used-to-be homeless friend ..
how can I not be encouraged .

pray . . ?

... 

why pray ..
..

¿ huh ?

well, why do you pray

.. because i'm talking to God

¿ what does that mean exactly ?

well.. i mean, i'm talking to God .. i'm telling God stuff and asking for things and thanking him ..

cool .. ¿ so when you tell God stuff, does he already know it ?

well of course he does ! he's God !

so God already knows the things you'll say, but you tell him anyway .. ¿ tell me, when you ask God for stuff, does God already know you need it ?

yes ..

¿ so why doesn't God simply give it to you ?

because we have to ask .. that's the way it works .. i don't understand what you're doing. ¿ are you implying we shouldn't pray ?

no. i'm simply wondering what prayer is and why we pray .. and does it accomplish anything if God already knows what he's going to do, what we're going to ask, what we need .. ¿ why pray ?

because ... . .. . he's God, and i'm a human, his child and .. . and i'm in a relationship with God, and i want his will to be done

¿ ok.. so his will won't be done unless you pray ?

well .. no .. i mean yes ! of course God's will will be done

¿ so why pray if it will, and if your not praying for it can't stop it, why pray for it ?

¿ what ??!

¿ if God's will is going to get done regardless, why pray about it at all ? or about anything for that matter

....  . .
¿ does praying matter ?
¿ does prayer make any difference in the way things turn out ?


just sayin' ..
think on it

if God is in control, and he has a specific plan for everything, including you and me, and nothing happens that he has not determined ti happen .. . .
¿ why pray ?