worrying and birds and flowers ..

" it would be tragic to think that a flower or bird lives with greater intention than you " ..
Pastor J
go in at Matthew 6:25
come out at 30

`|`

i have this dear christian friend who is consumed with worry ..
it's not that they're much different from most of us, just that the 2 of us communicate regularly and share, so i am aware ..
.. it becomes even more real when you realize that you are a part of the reason for their worry ..
   like, that bites hard - leaves tooth marks all over me ..
      or them ..

`|`

go in at Creator God's care for a hungry bird, imaginative design of a lily
come out at me worrying ..
   about food or clothing, or the number of my days, or my height or weight, or my son or daughter ..

what i'm doing is taking God's position in my life ..
i'm bearing this burden, when God is saying " i got this. i got you. loose it, lean on me " ..
i'm telling God " mmm .. not sure i believe that; i'll hold onto it for now "
= faith
not ..

we talk about faith, a lot
we don't do faith much
..

go in at pagans/unbelievers, who don't have God and worry
come out at me and my Godness, worrying ..
am i not then pagan in my faith ?
do pagans have faith ?
do i ?
..

the truth is that God, who knows what a sparrow needs, and who so gloriously adorned that lilly which surpasses the ultra extravagant Solomon, knows me quite well thank you, and is quite aware of my needs
and while i think i can somehow handle my stuff on my own by worrying over it, as in ' i'm in charge ', there is no one anywhere who is more caring and able to do just that than my God
      agreed ? ..
         eh ? .. . .
if my God is God
if God is God
if i believe in that God
if my faith is faith indeed ..
..
'cause when i worry i deny my faith
worse yet I deny God ..
my faith is counted as nothing
i'm simply playing mind-games, trying to convince myself of something that isn't real, repeating what someone on a soapbox said like it was gospel
   while all the while my faith has no flesh, no muscle, no bite in my life ..
i'm still in control of me

`|`

" in crisis we reach for the thing that's closest to our heart " ( Pas J )
and while we may reach out for God up-front, we quickly use our other hand to grab the liquor, the pill, the shrink, the pastor, the  ..
as if God is at the bottom of that bottle ..
but God can't be bottled
and if ( we'd ) i'd simply reach back I'd feel God's hand
 and find God was there holding me all along, loving me ..

you can't bottle that ..
that's God in love
the God of grace who loves me anyway, all the time, full-on
   regardless of my unbelief
   my worry
   my diss'ing God
because God cannot deny God
God is ever faithful in the Lord Christ ..
always     (2 Timothy 2:13)
get that
..

our Man in heaven who traveled the road we travel as human, blazed the way as a Human for us
and we are presently powerfully represented at the most honorable place of Right Hand of God ..

the faithfulness of the Christ is our rearguard - " i got ya, friend " ..
now, how do I go in there
and come out worrying ..
..

we are not only represented before God by the man Jesus
we are in Christ
in Christ
embraced by him
there
here
now
and nothing anywhere - no power of whatever sort - can override that .. ever
even to death
even in death

`|`

sometimmes we live the lie that says when we worry we are showing we care .. " it's because i care so much "
it's a lie because it is quite contrary to what Jesus says .. period
we fool ourself

`|`

most versions split the text of Matthew 6 at v24, and treat v25 as a different section
like this ..
" Serving Two Masters
24 “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear." "

i prefer to think the one flows naturally into the other, hence the 'therefore' in v25
like this ..
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear."

which ties having/not having money into worry
..

regardless, consider
v 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
well .. ?

Jesus ..
" 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? ..
30 If God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.
Why do you have so little faith? "

.. why do i have so little faith ? .. .
and there's that nagging issue again, that itch i can't seem to reach ..

worry
      faith, trust
worry
      God
worry
      my best friend and mentor, Master Jesus

" 33 Seek the Kingdom of God and righteousness above all else, and God will give you everything you need. " ..
well then ..
there's that massive promise from the lips of Jesus
there's that ..

" 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. "
and there's that ..
live today for today
in faith
trusting the God Who is There ..

`|`

it's interesting to note that the greek word used for 'worry' is one rooted in a word meaning ' a part ', as opposed to the whole
one greek expert defines it thus: ' drawn in different directions '
another: ' divided into parts '
' to go to pieces '
[ this observation from a non-greek non-geek .. me ]
..
as to that (which i just discovered), while reading the preceding passage this morning, a verse struck me again, as this verse always does ..
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body.
When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.
But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!"     ( 6:22,23 )
..
along that line, the word for 'healthy' in the verse just quoted is rooted in ' single ', ' sound ', ' perfect ' ..
ye old KJV renders it ' single '
single, as in undivided ..

perhaps worry divides me
such that i am not integrated, not sound
i wonder if that eye, when in worry, has a divisive effect on me as a whole
divides me
splinters me
..

someone said that fear ( worry in disguise ) is taking a future unknown situation, imagining the worst-case scenario, and bringing that into your present, experiencing the possible bad outcome as if it was real ..

`|`

regardless, it should be evident from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 that when we worry we express fear and a lack of trust in the God we claim

and then there's apostle Paul ..
" Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. "    ( Philippians 4:6,7 )

and while i picked on my friend for worrying
i have a few questions to ask my self ..

you ? ..

peace to you

great read ..

cogently summarizes NT Wright's philosophy of scripture in a very readable way ..
brilliantly done
highly recommend

https://baptistnews.com/article/can-tom-wright-save-christianity/#.WKxwbm9OnqD

unusual for this blog ..

this 1 hr speech by chris hedges should be required listening in every christian church ..
it is outstanding, given by a seminary-trained speaker

listen here

crosses and what 'christian' really means ..

there's a cross in back of the table

wine in a decanter alongside a simple clay cup

a bread loaf

there's a cross 

and wine and bread

and the thought " all of you share in this, and remember my death " ..

..

it's a strange thing to say really
   remember his death ?
   as if he was dead ..
   why not his resurrection life ?

the whole protestant thing is don't display Jesus hanging on a cross like the catholics do

he isn't there !

that isn't the final story

he is risen !

" remember my death " ..

..

my anglican/episcopal-turned-independent baptist grandmother had a crucifix on the wall behind her bed ..

and, even as a boy, knowing what i knew in my protestant/evangelical/fundamentalism, i always wondered why she never replaced it with a simple cross ..

there aren't many things i remember well, but i think if i tried real hard i could probably sketch a fair representation of that crucifix

..

" if anyone wants to be my disciple and follow me, let them deny self, and take up their own cross; then come, follow .. "

" whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. " ( Mt 10.38 )

Luke adds " take up their cross daily " ( Lk 9.23 )

..

there's something radically important about that cross behind the table in the middle of the room where Jesus' followers meet to remember

it represents the place of death

and while, yes, it was the place of his murder, the more pertinent point is that it was the culminating statement of his humility

         and his humanity
   the humiliation of God

      in leaving God and becoming human
and of the supremely awesome form of God's sovereignty
   an authority that refuses to quash all opposition outright
   that manifests itself in what the ol' King James Version calls lovingkindness
   and the greek NT calls 'agape', the sacrificial love of the God who lives forever ..

a sovereignty that extends pierced hands
..

Jesus released his life for the life of the world

gave it over

relinquished his right to life

..

it isn't that he was being morose when he said to remember him in his death as we share the bread and the wine among ourselves ..

it's the unrelenting passion of God that we undertake His passion as seen in the passion ..

an offering-up of self for the rescue of humanity

all humanity
out of the loving heart of Godself

a driving desire to bring all creation into oneness in Christ
a melding of life in which creation inhales and exhales the love of God
in which we humans move and live and be in such agreement, such harmony
   that the interaction of us portrays marvelous congruity of spirit, of sight, of soul

it is a celebration of a strange and wonderful unity that permeates Godhead and humanity
as one

..

so to take Jesus off that cross, while theologically pointed at the victory of God in resurrection, theologically undoes the iconic imaginative reality, where i get to see a representation of human Jesus doing precisely what Jesus pointedly told me to actuate in my life

the death of me ..

and i think that helps me somehow ..

that's the purpose of icons

to enhance the imaginative by leading through visual representations, to help us come to the inner place of God

.. like the anglican/episcopal and roman catholic and lutheran etc. 'seven stations of the cross', where thoughtful worshipers walk past visual representations of Jesus' Passion journey
   it's very sobering
   and i remember disliking very much the feeling of horror and death
   and downright darkness that pervaded the whole eveent
      hated it
but .. imagine Jesus .. .

while we walked away from the catholic and mainline protestant ritualism, we may have lost some very useful spiritual prompts

..

denial

of me

it's radical 

unreasonable 

unrealisitic

impossible ..

and yet there it is ..

Jesus certainly knew what he was saying
he knew 'cross', even before he went there

that leaves me to deal with that, one of the most significant things he said
for it defines 'disciple'
and i want that
..

as for this me
i'm not very good at that
not good at it at all

and yet
there it is

..

i don't get to choose disciple unless i pick up my cross and head down the Via Dolorosa myself
..
it may not end in actual crucifixion
.. and yet it may

that's the far side of the cross-bearing thing, i know
that's my ultimate
but i somehow have to see it as a distinct possibility for me

more likely our cross involves sacrifice of another sort
regardless, the attitude of us must be that ..
my life is your life, Lord
use it as you will
even to death
in death

easier said than done, ya ?
and yet
there it is

" if you really want to be my disciple, you have to deny you, daily take up the instrument of your death .. then come, follow "

..

i have no choice really
if i want to follow Jesus
none

it may be impossible
but then, with God ..

there is repeated failure
there is challenge at every hand
there is black lives and white lives and blue lives
and there is my own family
and what will i do when my very life is threatened
.. when their life is threatened

what do i do ? .. .

i must then stand my cross up, sink it myself into that gaping hole
affix the crosspiece

i can do no other

may God help me
..

one writer puts it this way
" I want to insist .. that the texts about cross-carrying should also be considered more literally - that the cross really refers to crucifixion, execution. Before he says "follow me" Jesus says "take up and carry" - the call is conditioned by our prior acceptance that we bring the instrument of our own execution with us as we live the life of discipleship; the cross becomes the instrument of our execution because we live the life of discipleship. It entails a probably-gruesome death at the hands of the powers. ..
I don't like this conclusion any more than you do .. And I am sure God does not care whether we like it or not. ..
We are called to conform our lives to the gospel. That we are reluctant to do so - reluctant hell - that we doubt that we are even able to consider it a possibility to do so - indicates that there is something wrong. "    
( Robert Brimlow, A Faith Not Worth Fighting For )

..

the straightforward undeniable truth of the matter is that being a christian is, at the heart of it, following Jesus, and following Jesus requires me to give up all rights to my life and turn it over to him in totality, even if it involves death ..

there is no other option
if i want to claim the Lord Christ as master
none

make it so


peace to you

doom and hotcoal ..

so i met with church today
and as i sat there and listened to this often-wise person speak out of and in to Isaiah 6
   about the freakoutish (my word) event
   about Jesus being the live coal that burned away Isaiah's sin
   about how God wants to use Isaiah even though he's guilty as hell
      and he thinks he's upended and doomed ..
.. .     .


i was thinking of this friend i wish was there with me to hear this wisdom
and how even though they don't do church
   they would likely appreciate the realness of what the speaker was speaking
.. .
 .. .. .     .


and then i walked that right back
and thought
   this is for me ..
   so like why are they coming immediately to mind
   when i'm the one
      here am i
      it's me
..

and i repented
and listened again

..

" the incredible thing about turning to Jesus is that nothing in your life is wasted "
      or similar
Jesus uses it all
the broken
the bruised
the ugly
the wickedness
the lying cheating accusing scapegoating lustful hateful spiteful ..
  he redeems it all

..

and there was i
“ It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. "

and then there was this hotburning coal
..

eating god ..

it's sundaygotomeetingday
and all across the planet people are taking time out of their busy lives
to eat their god
..

      some take this quite literally
         as in if you don't believe that what you are eating is god
         then you can't be one of us

strange thing, don't ya think ..

`|`

in the evening
   before the deathangel passes over egypt
each household shall eat the lamb - all of you shall eat
you shall be standing - do not sit
you shall be dressed for travel, staff in-hand
you shall eat all of it - leave none uneaten
..


" go, prepare a place for us to eat the Passover meal "
..
and during the meal he took a loaf of bread, broke it and passed it around
saying to them " eat this, all of you .. it is my body broken for you "
..
later he poured wine into a cup and passed it around
and he said " drink this, all of you .. this is my blood shed for you "

`|`

well, we christians have been tossing that around theologically ever since
we've even drawn lines in the sand over it
   don't you dare cross over
like there's literal vs. representative (transubstantiation vs. consubstantiation)
believers vs. unbelievers (in vs. out)
members vs. nonmembers (closed vs. open)
monthly vs. weekly
..

and we transform bread and wine into god
and we consume god
like we consume dinner
and god gets mixed-up with dinner
and passes out into the latrine ..

almost as if god was food
..
eating god to live
   so i can be alive
   and continue to live

god becomes my bread
my wine
   my flesh
   my blood
      my life

`|`

and when you do this together
you remind yourselves
you bear testimony to each other
   of my death ..
this will give you life
   when you remember my death
      for you too must die
..

eat my body
drink my blood
live by me

i am doing this for you
for your life
that you might have life
in me

share my life among you
pass it around
everyone eat of me
together

`|`

i am the vine
you are the branches
unless you live in the vine
   you will die

those who live in me
   bear fruit
and my Father prunes the branches
   so they will be even more fruitful

branches cannot bear fruit apart from the vine ..
live in me
i will live in you
you will bear fruit
..
apart from me you can accomplish nothing ..
my Father is honoured by your fruit
   by showing yourselves to be my disciples

`|`

food
to be eaten
to give life
life from the vine
to bear fruit
..

God is not an object to be eaten
   God is life itself
God is the life that is the source of all life
in God is life
all life is in God

eat God
drink God
   for life

live on God

live in God

God lives in you
and you in God

God is here
eat God
let God flow through you
nourish you
give you life

`|`

whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup together
let it be a testimony to my death
out of which you live

live

live in me

eat me
   together
eat together with me

use my body and blood as food for your souls
share it among yourselves
share me
make me your food
your daily bread

live on me
apart from me you have no life

live !

eat and live

`|`

i am the bread of God which came from heaven to give life to the world

i am the bread of life

i tell you the truth
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood
you have
no life
in you

my flesh is food indeed
and my blood drink
anyone that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me
and i in them

anyone who feeds on me will live

i am real bread from heaven
anyone that eats this bread will live for ever

eat
be nourished by me
find your life in me

i am the life

John chapter 6

flower power and orange steeples ..

don't ever lose your faith in flowers
   they're the fairies of spring ..
your liferoom needs to be full of them everyday

they die of course and become shriveled withered memories
but some fairy godmother keeps popping them out

there's not much else you can trust ..

..

government went for a swim one day and never came back
and while we drive to the beach on Sundays and look across the waves with binoculars hoping for some sign they're returning, truth is we've been swallowed whole by greedmongers who absolutely hate flowers
..

o where o where have all the flowers gone
..

don't forget flowers have power
   flower power
it's really very potent
   even if they don't use guns and bombs
they blow you away with color and fragrance
and there're so many of them
and they don't cost anything
   or fill greedy bottomless MIC pockets ..

they just pop up everywhere compliments of Fairy Godmother
..

and the churches too, you know ..
they didn't swim off
they stayed
and grew big oversized nurseries ..
'cept they don't grow flowers, they nurture followers
lots of 'em
all in a row, docile like
bobbing heads as they open their mouths for the next wafer of " this saith the Lord "
   " pass the fertilizer please " ..

flowers never grow there
they have to force them into prisonjars
   where they whimper and die from all the bad breath


`|`

I hung a 2017 calendar on the wall but took it down a few days later
I can't stand the thought of counting days
   it draws the damn future out, makes time slow down
when all I want now is to fly past the stinkcloud that looks to take up the whole sky
   pretend it didn't happen, isn't real ..
i'll wake up soon enough in my liferoom with fresh flowers and a new calendar on the wall
..

don't ever lose your faith in flowers
even when it feels like the whole world's going to drop on your head like some huge orange steeple to crush you
especially then ..
..

a la wise Frenchman - " don't worry, they have guns, but we have flowers "

absolument, mon ami
right on

a goat and stuff ..

somewhere there's this goat ..


it's not a particularly ugly goat or particularly pretty
it's nobody's pet
it didn't grow up in any particularly good or bad neighborhood
and nobody knows it's family
.. just a standard goat

but this particular goat is marked
chosen from among all the other standard goats
along with one other standard goat ..

so now there are two
   2 marked goats

but this goat bears a different mark from goat #2
   it has a special mark
      like #2's mark is special
        only different

so one dark day the two marked goats were led out of their pen and marched solemnly down a street filled with the people and brought before the #1 priest

#2 goat was let off to be sacrificed to please the gods
it's was a privileged destiny
   a sweet-smelling savor in the nostrils of the powers-that-be

#1 goat stood silently
attached by a rope to the hand of a specially chosen 1 of the people
waiting

#1 priest comes out
blood dripping from his hands ..
he places his hands on this goat's head
and he blames the goat for his stuff
and for the stuff of all the people standing there

this goat begins to feel very guilty
as if the troubles of the world now lay on his back

then the chosen 1 leads this goat out of the city
into the wilderness
away from the people
far far away
where all that guilt can be lost
disposed of
forgotten ? ..

but not by #1 goat ..
it now lives in the Wasteland that is Azazel
the sent-away one in the land of Watchers
far far away from the people
and their gods ..
all blooded by sins not it's own
not its own
..



o, scapegoat tell me
   where have you been
i so needed you
   to make me clean
wash me, wash me
   whiter than snow
that way I get
   to face tomorrow
      you know

o, scapegoat you know
   the mirror's my enemy
      until you show ..
if you don't come
   not sure what I'll do
have to cover the mirror
   can't live without you
i need you i need you i need you
i need you right now ..

o scapegoat, scapegoat
   where have you gone
i need you to help me
   so I can move on
i'm drowning in guilt
   don't know who I am
need to lay my hands on your head
   anoint you with balm
before I die

" bah bahh " said the goat to the one
   " why do you do this
      what is it i've done "
" you're a goat " said the one
   what'd you expect
you'll do this and then
   i'll regain my respect
come, kneel, offer your head
now off to the wilderness
   you're dead " ..
      you're dead

all blooded by sins not it's own
not it's own

seeing is believing ..

we like to know that we know what we know ..

but what we know is so pitifully scant
   so coloured by our parents our society our education our politics our religion
   and internet
   and media and things
   and moneymoneymoneymoooo-ney
that it's really not knowing at all ..
it's imbibing what we're told and taught by the 'knowers'
      who themselves are coloured
   taking them at facevalue
   swallowing their take on it as if it was absolute ..

and our lives reflect our shallow understanding ..
we barely get our feet wet
   afraid of the deeper darker can't-see-clearly sharky depths
   hugging the shoreline ..
but we're ' in '
we think we have it
   while we kick at the water by the seahore

spiritually we still find our nourishment from milk ..
we should be eating solid food (Hebrews 5.12) ..
the end of the one is immaturity
the other end is perception
..

one of the things that will help with that is a Godeyeview
and you get that through the spirit of God
not through handmedown sociology and theology

`|`

Jesus talked regularly about seeing
and he didn't mean seeing
he meant seeing
   as in seeing with a different eye
sorta like when he said " those who have ears to hear, listen .. "
   those weren't ears he was referring to
   it was a different kind of ear
      like that other eye

.. huh ?


`|`

o there are all those ' facts ' flying around
those lists
of things that make us sure
   confident
   guardians of truth, brandishing our bibleswords
   threatening people with hell
and those lists
   of people who are sinners! dammit!
   look at him!
   she oughta be ashamed!
 
promising salvation through rapture
   escape
      when salvation is all about God
      bringing us up out of slavery in the land of Egypt
      into a new and different kingdomland
         here and now
         as in the present ..

everybody's got a list ..

..

maybe it's time to switch over
like changing internet providers
   change the feed
start surfing a different internet
   God's feed

maybe shut down the eyes i been seeing with
so i can see with a different eye
   God's eye

`|`

ever thought-through that conversation the Man had with Pharisee Nicodemas ? ..

like, " you mean you're an expert in God's Law, and teach people,
   and you don't understand what i'm saying ? what's with that, Nick ? "
why would Jesus say that to this dude that's trying to understand who he is and where he's from and what strange things he's teaching ..
because N was looking at it with his regular eyes
   not with his other eye
and apparently he didn't even know he couldn't see
   or that he could see
      with his other eye
that there was another way of seeing

so Jesus told him he had to be born a different way
   he had to have new eyes
and ol' Nick responds with " you mean climb back into my mum ? " .. .

so Jesus has another go at it ..
" naw, man. this is another kind of born, a spiritbirth
it doesn't have anything to do with a physical birth
it's a spirit thing, and when the Spirit moves she moves like the wind - you can't tell whether she's coming or going or where she's coming from either; kinda like a powerful gust of wind .. "

..

my favourite is Jesus' warning about walking around judging people
   somehow that can't work
      not a bit
'cause there's this log in my eye
   as in tree-size, bark and all ..
he said to work on getting the log out of my eye
   instead of trying to pick-out the speck
   in somebody else's
      as in dust-size minuscule can't-hardly-see-it ..

you think he was talking my eye that sits next to my nose ?
.. not

maybe what he was saying was " listen mate .. your stuff is always more than other people's stuff - bigger, heavier, nastier, so much more pukish
   deal with that ..
forget the other guy .. start chipping away at that huge tree sticking out of your eye "


that's a different eye

..

in Matthew 13 Jesus refers to Isaiah talking about people who can't hear and can't see
and Jesus says " but you are blessed because your eyes see and your ears hear .. "
.. don't think he was referring to 20/20 vision ..
he was talking about spiritual perception
attuned to the spirit of God

`|`

Jesus was not at all about condemnation
or judging
making-a-fool-of
pointing out people
   or their stuff
shaming
categorizing
blaming people for their life-failures, like " that's God's judgement on you because you .. "
.. which is the way we tend to think
      think scapegoating

why?
why didn't he do that ?
shouldn't he be doing that ?
he knew God and God's standards better than anyone
so why not ?

because
we're caught
trapped
like that deer with it's leg clenched by metal trapteeth
   bleeding-out
   waiting to die ..
and Jesus is all about grace and mercy and love
all about ..

Jesus didn't come here to condemn anybody ..
" see? told ya not to mess with that trap .. "
   check it out
he came to release
to set the captive free
to bring light
   and he brought light to everyone
      as in all people everywhere
   check that out too
      you'll find both in John, chapter 3 and chapter 1
..

Jesus was all about loving people
and love doesn't point fingers ..
it embraces
all
even the liar/thief/prostitute/addict/lgbt/other-religion-person/etc etc etc etc

and Jesus stamped that love with his horrific death on a torturous cross ..
so there ..

`|`

so, ya, there's this other seeing
   a sight that sees through the crap we've been fed from the crib on up
   and rejects the judgmental see that points fingers
but you have to be in tune with the Great Physician for that eye to work

..

.. it's quite unnatural
very weird
seriously foolish-looking
rubs the fur the wrong way
makes no sense
   when you lend, don't think of repayment
   when you help, look to go the extra mile
   need this coat ? here, take these shoes too
   neighbour lost his ass in the well ? jump in and help get it out
      even if it's sunday
      even if ..

   and this really freaky one
      dude strike you? .. offer the other side of your face for his fist
            ?? wild or what ..
         cause know what? he's worth it, and rather than fight the guy
         let him see that you can take his lash and then take her other lash
         while looking her in the eye
            because you respect the image of God in her
                and you want her to know that ..
            because violence, even in self-defense, is unworthy of any human
               bearing Godimage
                  violence coming or going
            because you refuse to justify his first blow
               to return evil for evil
            because God values that person at an inestimable value
               as God does you
            because your Master took it, full frontal, with narry a retort
             
..

that takes vision
seeing through other eyes
seeing the One who justifies as your justifier
seeing others as more significant than you are
   even enemy-others and haters and judgers and muslims and jews and
   latino trans addict liar refugee whitesupremacist jihadist homosexual thief ..
      even him/her ..
and that's about as tall an order as you can get

`|`

it's not an easy thing to do
   i know .. i know
it takes a bunch of want
a serious amount of effort
a longing, as in hunger and thirst longing (Matthew 5) for righteousness
a boatload of souldesire to be like Jesus
   as in like there's nothing i want more ever
..
especially when i keep falling flat on my face
walking into walls
falling into deep deep holes that are gaggishly sickening with my filth
..
but hey ..
remember Jesus said " i got you, mate .. i got you "
   can't remember the reference ..
..

look to see with your spirit
reject the inyourface eye
head for the other eye

and Jesus winked ..


peace to you

safe and secure in the arms of Jesus ..

safe and secure in the arms of Jesus ..

safe in my bed tonight
safe and secure, gun locked and loaded
safe in my church tomorrow
bible locked and loaded

safe
   food in the pantry
   freshly laundered clothes
   lawn manicured
   nails manicured

secure
   bank account reconciled
   mortgage paid-up
   retirement in good hands

reputation intact

safe and secure in Jesus ..

FB and twit all thumbs-upped
recognized as a swell member of the community
loved by all
floated on the accoladed complimented polished cloud
   taking us up up and away
   into the fluffy-clouded dreamland of safe and secure
      in the arms of Jesus

..

and all the while the world walks ever closer to the edge
the peons pushed by massive expensive Cat loaders towards the brink
   of extinction
      or at least it trims the bloated world population
         of humans and animals and trees and water, the water .. .
            gives us more room to breathe
            me and the kids

safe and secure in the arms of Jesus

..

our human brothers and sisters running away for life
running to ..
   Nothere
stranded between death and ..
   starvation and ..
   persecution and ..
      war war war
      violence violence violation violated
freezing outdoors
shoveled from this place to that
   like so much nuclear waste
herded like sheep ..
not our problem
   send them over there
   or there
   just not here
   Nothere
      imagine if one is isis in disguise ..

..

safe
secure
.. Jesus ?
which Jesus that ?
please please don't point at a bible .. please

please

..

you can start with the place to start
the renowned 'sermon on the mount'
start there
and when you're done with that
then redo it
again and again
   if you can bring yourself to ..
   if you can stand the utter social diabolicalness
   if you can deal with the political suicide
   if you can stomach the radical absurdity
   if you can convince your mind that what's on the page is what's on the page
      and that Jesus said it
         Jesus

'cause there's no safety or security in poverty
   or for those in mourning
   the meek don't do safe and secure much
   or the ones hungry and thirsty for Godlikeness
   the merciful
   the pure aren't primatily concerned with safe and secure
   or the peacemovers
   the persecuted ..
..
these are they that lay themselves out
   to be used
   to be given
      and in a broad sense their safety and security count for little
as in " unless you're willing to lose your life for me, you cannot be my disciple "
as in " it's those who lose their life that find life "

   i know i know
   that's not primarily about our physical life
   it's about who we are as persons, what we value and trust in
      but nevertheless even so ..

..

so ya
safe and secure in the arms of Jesus
glock under the pillow
borders sealed
belly full
ready to take on the whole damned world

to hell with the world
.. i'm safe and secure in the arms of Jesus
and damned proud of it too ..

..

" My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? ..
For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes; if you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—  well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters: hasn’t God chosen even the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they part of those who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? Yet you dishonor the poor! 
Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? 
Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”, but if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. "
..
So act and speak [mercifully], as those who will be judged out of a 'law' of freedom. 
For there will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. but if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. 
Mercy triumphs over judgement. " (James 2)

“God opposes the proud
    but gives grace to the humble.” (James 3)
       every time ..

" Tell me, what will you gain if you win the whole world, but lose your soul? "

peace to you