Race and other Relations

My truck overheated and I had to have it towed.  It was a half hour ride with Chuck the tow truck driver.  Chuck was Caucasian, in his early fifty’s with greying hair and a beard.  Our conversation eventually led to him telling me a story about his neighborhood.  When he bought his house there was vacant land in the area.  After a few years low income housing was built and the neighborhood took a turn that found him a bit unwelcomed.  Driving down the road to his house he would receive shouts of cracker muther f’er…only in the full text.  Anyway this went on for a bit until he had had enough one evening and got out of his truck and exchanged words with some of his tormenters, his side arm in full view.  He didn’t share the exact words exchanged but the tone soon changed and the shouts dwindled.  

As time went on his neighbors soon realized he was also a mechanic.  And over time he started working on some of the neighborhood cars in the area.  Getting to know more and more of the middle and older generation living in the area, he became a friend, accepted and respected.  His attitude changed along the way as well, no longer feeling defensive in his own backyard.

I share many personal stories on this blog.  But I really love to hear stories like Chuck’s.  To hear an experience played out over time that resembles others you’ve heard or experienced yourself, is encouraging.  It reaffirms the opposite of what we see and hear in the mass media today.  Outsiders to our country must think we are a dysfunctional bunch of crazed killers.  Nothing could be further from the truth, but what is on the news….the bad side of humanity….continuously.  If our airwaves are being monitored across the universe, which they are, what impression are we making?  But you know, as I do, there is far more good in our country than bad. 

We are a product of our given bloodlines and the environment we surround ourselves with.  Unfortunately for many in this country that environment is less than healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually.  Surrounded by an environment of prejudice, jealousy, vanity, hate, suppression and distrust what else is one to expect?  Our children deserve better, they are the future of our country.  We should surround them with brotherhood, compassion, understanding, love, opportunity and wisdom.  This is impossible to do with a parentless family and a divisive social structure and media.

What is your view on the other races of people around you?  I have had good and bad experiences, but no different than with my own race.  Which begs the question….what’s the difference other than the way we look and the environment we come from.  What do we remember, the good or the bad, what someone else tells us, or our own inner thoughts and emotions.  I refuse to believe that every experience you've had outside your own race was negative.  My positive memories far outweigh the negative, but we are influenced towards perceiving the negative is more the norm.  To create confusion and mistrust is a powerful weapon, and that message permeates our society in many ways. 

We are blessed to live in a diverse nation.  The culture mix of our society can be seen as either a positive or negative.  As we grow as a nation we should put the past in its proper place, as history, and let it guide us but not control and agitate us.  We are all one race under the eyes of God; it is our interpretation of the world and people around us that is clouded and separated as a society. 

Many feel that only money or force can accomplish anything.  Over the years our cultural environment has been manipulated by wealth and subtle force to mold us into the society we are.  However, we all must do our part to rise up and realize the good inside of each of us and cherish it, no matter what mass media portrays. Grow the good and bury the bad as we seek brighter horizons and strive to be “One Nation under God, with Liberty and Justice for All”, as promised us all… ages ago.  

Holy Weeks are a special time for many in this world.  For others….not so much.  In any case I worship in mostly personal ways.  I like to explore the Bible and have the Lord direct me to a place of learning.  The Bible has many mysteries and one of the hardest to explain is man’s relationship to God and where Jesus Christ fits in that conversation.  Take a moment if you will and read Hebrews Chapter 2.  The author of Hebrews is unknown but it is a great book to read to understand the relationship between God, Jesus, man and why Jesus came into our Earth.  The second chapter explains the reason for His death and resurrection, how He relates to His brethren, which is all of us, and why He will never forsake us.  Just as we put our trust in Him, He puts His trust in us.  What could be a better testament to your faith than to know the One you put your faith in….has just as much faith in you.  Read Hebrews chapter 2 carefully and you will see several answers to the questions many have in this world today.  

In our desire to win the race of life, let’s not forget we are all in the race together.

Prosperity through Peace & Prayer my friend.

Blood Lines

My wife and I took a long train ride and car ride this weekend.  At one point she asked what I thought would happen to people who don’t believe in God.  I did not have an immediate answer but assured her the answer was in the Bible.  That was Saturday morning and the question stuck with me, because the obvious answer of hell and damnation is too convenient for me to accept.  The more complex answer lies in which period of time you are referring to.

Throughout history we have been given choice.  It is one of the most fundamental and cherished gifts God has granted us.  Throughout history we are given chance after chance, choice after choice to learn and accept the teachings of God.  But eventually we will run out of time, and have to make a final call.

For context and the real answer to what will happen when our world runs out of time to learn all the lessons offered to us, simply turn to Isaiah 65:11-19.  His true believers will prosper, and those who defile His name and Holy sites will suffer.  We live in a complex world.  The forces of satan and the forces of the righteous battle constantly…but one day, or night, it will all stop.  No more the hatred and gnashing of teeth.  No more the pain and suffering.  We can have that world today, if only we allow His teachings to deliver us the answers.

Now for a little more truth on this Palm Sunday.  Ready…it’s a little deep, but open your mind and hearts and it will be as clear as freshly melted snow on a Spring Day.

There are twelve chosen tribes of the original nations that are mentioned throughout the Bible.  In Revelations 7 these tribes are called and sealed.  The number 12 and 12,000 are mentioned which totals 144,000.  I have always thought that 144,000 seemed like a low number when looked at from the verse just after the tribes are called.  In 7:9 John sees a "great multitude that no one could count."  and goes on to say these people were from "every nation, tribe, people and language."  The Bible is full of mysteries, in part because so much of the Bible is history and prophecy and determining where we stand in this history or prophecy is often hard to determine.  Personally I feel the number 144,000 in Revelations represents the various blood lines of these tribes.  Our world is full of the decedents of Abraham and Noah.  Do not ask me how I know this, find the answers for yourself all through the Bible, from the First Book of Genesis to the Last Book of Revelations and numerous other documents not included in the formal Bible.
 

The original table of nations as detailed in Genesis leads us to the 144,000 in the twelve tribes of Revelations.  144,000 is not a great multitude….but multiply this by the people on this planet that share in some small way a piece of those original blood lines, and you will have a great multitude of all kinds of men and women from all walks of life and all places on this earth.

As dust we were scattered to the winds, as rain we were cast to the mercy of the oceans, only to settle where we are today.  I am convinced the blood lines established by God course through our veins today.  Be us ashes settling at the bottom of the fire, or embers drifting in the wind, we have found the truth that makes this world make a little more sense.  God gives us choice, what you do with it becomes your chance to live and prosper, or dwindle and die. 

My research in His Word has found that there is one unforgivable sin.  Committing the devils work in God’s name.  Such as beheading innocent lives as you glorify Allah.  Some in this world will eventually be devoured in a lake of fire, while others are uplifted to the pinnacle of life, love, understanding and wisdom.  We are all in a state of decision.  Do not take my words alone in this matter.  Please on this Palm Sunday read Isaiah chapters 61-65 and you will see a glimpse of what the Lord promises His followers, and what he brings to those that forsake Him.  You have a choice; you are not here by chance alone.  Recognize the goodness you have in your veins, before your evils cause you to bleed.  For as complex as our world is, God provides a simple answer…find it and live in His Glory.  The covenant we seek is already inside and all around us…and one day it will shine as an everlasting covenant of Peace.                  

Freedom and Responsibilty

With freedom comes discipline.  We cannot be a truly free society unless we embrace the disciplines to preserve, honor and respect the freedoms of others.

Our society today is fast approaching a state of maximum freedoms of choice, and minimum moral disciplines.  We are being stripped of our American beliefs at the hands of those wanting to undermine our very freedoms.  We live in a world today surrounded by hate and divisiveness, the very thing that satan would prosper and revel in.  The further we decline from a God fearing country, the more we remove moral teachings from our schools, the more we remove God from our society, the more our country will decline into chaos and anarchy.

“One nation under God” is a core belief of our country.  When those within or from the out diminish that belief the more satan wins and the more we decline as a nation.  Whether you want to admit it or not we as individuals and as a nation face a growing threat to our democracy.  In our quest for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” don’t forget there are those wishing death, control and misery on our society. 

With freedom comes the discipline to use those freedoms to enhance our lives, not use them for selfish gain.  I wonder how many of these children would march if they were told….no more violent video games, no more displays of weapons used in these games, no more glorifying the violence that our society, school system and home environment has allowed over the past thirty years.  I am sure they would say that violates their rights.  Well you can’t have cake without milk…you’ll only choke on it. 

As a nation we were built on the respect of God and the moral teachings it embodies.  As a nation we have a proud heritage of having the right to bear arms.  As a nation we are at a crossroad of having the weapons without the morals, and that is not the weapons fault….it is yours, mine and our societies for allowing it to happen.  What a perfect world for satan….a well-armed but moraless nation! 

When someone says they are offended by the words “One nation under God” that is one person…not the whole class.  Whatever happened to majority rules…so one atheist gets to decide what’s right for our children, when the majority feel otherwise….hogwash!

I stand firm in my belief that if someone is bent on violence they will find the means to carry it out.  The biggest common denominator in mass shootings besides a gun…is almost all of these individuals showed warning signs that could have prevented the eventual outcome.  Why they were ignored is a result of our belief to allow others their freedoms, lest we trample their rights.  Overall this is not a gun problem and restricting guns to law abiding citizens is not the answer.  The answer is a return to the disciplines that guarantee those rights and protect them from the evils that exist in our society and the world.

I cannot legally buy a modern gun because of a short stay I had years ago in a state hospital when I was suffering from depression.  But I can legally buy & use a primitive black powder rifle or slingshot, and I’m pretty good with both. But the disciplines and moral teachings I grew up with are ingrained as part of my core values and a deep respect for any weapon and my fellow man is part of the traditions I grew up with.  

Return to your roots America and realize that with freedom, comes responsibility and discipline.  “In God We Trust” & in God we endure.    🐝

   

March for Morals

It’s very difficult to talk about current events without upsetting somebody….but I’m going to give it a try.  I applaud any group of individuals that pursue a peaceful demonstration of their feelings and beliefs…key word here being peaceful.  How many people in our country would show up or show support for better education and an overall better learning environment for our children.  Regardless of the distraction, be it at school, home or among their peers our children are a result of the environment they have around them…and the lessons, morals and habits they absorb along the way.

In 1991 I wrote a paper for a school project called “Television Violence and the Child.”  It was at a time when this was a hot topic among leading experts.  The overall consensus was obvious that children exposed to violence were more desensitized to it and were prone to exhibit or glorify violence.  Fast forward 30 years and our youth has been exposed to an explosion of violence in television, movies, computer games, music and a decaying social environment.  Many of our children are being raised in a fantasy world that appreciates death and has little concern over its consequences.  Think about it, not just from an individual child’s perspective but from our society’s acceptance of right and wrong and how that has changed in the last 70 years, how our moral standards have lowered as a society.

We’ve all become a bit numb to the carnage our own school system, home environment and society has heaped on us.  If our kids are living an alternate reality that lacks morals and glorifies violence, than shouldn’t that be addressed first and foremost?

We all live in a bit of an alternate reality.  You could say our dreams, until reality, are an alternate reality.  You could also say that your vision of the perfect world is an alternate reality.  Religion, or the belief in a higher power, that demands some semblance of good behavior and teaches core living values can also be considered an alternate reality.  But it is a reality that grounds us as a society, establishes sound teaching in our schools, bonds families together and is what this country used to stand for.

You can have a belief in many different spiritually and morally guided disciplines.  The separation of church and state was primarily adopted to keep the state from telling us what religion, or beliefs, we could have and practice, which was happening in England at the time of our independence.  Over the years it has been twisted to remove any type of religious or other belief from our schools and anything else city, county, state or federal governments play a part in. Our own history has even been ignored.

I said I didn’t want to upset anybody and that is why I have said…religion or other belief.  But the fact is this country was built on a belief in God.  It is on our currency, in our declaration and countless other examples.  Whether you believe in God or feel it is an alternate reality is not the point….the point is the teachings in Christianity and other religions are based on peace and compassion for each other.  They stress a moral upbringing, a wholesome learning environment and respect for our fellow man.

To me we have no one to blame but ourselves for allowing forces and groups who would undermine our country for any number of reasons to prosper while our children and society suffers and decays into divisiveness.  We created this mess and we sure know how to fix it.  Bring moral teachings, family values and American beliefs back to our schools and homes and watch our society shine.  Let’s march peaceably shall we…& love will follow 🇺🇸✨🐝

Sanctuary

In my mind I live in a sanctuary

Unclouded with being in a hurry

I walk with the peace of nature

Knowing the quiet harmony nurtures

I wonder how it will come to pass

That all this hate will not last

What magic will be cast?

I wish it would come fast

Will it come in thunder and lightning?

For some the vision is frightening

They believe there is no other end

Then to the earth and dust we blend

But there is so much more inside us

It calls out for freedom in a silent hush

Our soul knows the truth, it cannot hide

Many in their self and spirit are blind

What magic will turn their hearts of stone?

No magic at all, but in the wind it is blown

The truth is out there, for us to find

The mystery of this life to unwind

I live in a sanctuary in my mind

The suffering of this world blinds and binds

But I return to my sanctuary and pray

For Heaven to return to this Earth one day

Then my dream sanctuary will be shared

With all the others, who for this world truly cared.   

🐝. Psalm 91 ✨