The Call of the Cheeseburger!

Sometimes I get this major feeling to stuff like 50 cheeseburgers down my throat. There were days past when after a hard days work I would want to drink a 12 pack, just to get warmed up. I hear cohorts at work many times throughout the day speaking about wanting to hook up with this guy or that girl for seductive pleasures. Human is 2 parts. We have a physical body or “flesh” that desires. We also have a soul which makes us spiritual. Unlike animals though we have free will and reason that allow us to make decisions and choices. Jesus wants us to rise above feeding that flesh or filling that empty hole with earthly desires. He wants us to love. He wants us to reach for something higher. We were made out of love and God wants that back just like a good parent. Everyday and everything is a gift. He wants to see our acknowledgement, love and appreciation. He wants us to take care of this planet through love for each other. Jesus taught us to give up our desires for something higher, better.

Luke 9:23-26

23And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

In the Presence of, What?

Many times we don’t see what is right in front of us. We may have an inkling but don’t really know. Its important at all times to be in the here and now for if we don’t we never know when we are in the presence of greatness or great evil. Lives can so quickly change direction. One day everything is well its seems we are blessed and nothing can go wrong. We take it as a gift, but do we say thanks? We may even think things are going well because of us. That we willed it. While we to have a heavy hand on our days in our time we rarely are so great. Those days we hit all the green lights in traffic, is it us that makes that happen? God loves us and wants us to have a good life like any parent to child. He knows all and sees all and gives us rules and guidelines, not to be a dictator but to light a path that will help us through life. For many on the bad days we pray in desperation, “God please help me! Just get me out of this and I will do and be yours forever!” The question is do we follow through? Do we forget until the next calamity. God loves you and is waiting to hear from you. Like a parent with a small child he wants to hear the good and the bad. He wants to comfort us and help us with skinned knees and broken hearts. And just as much, he wants to hear “Thank you’s” and “I love you’s”. For how hollow is a relationship of yours where you give and love till it hurts and all your loved one does is take. How full is that relationship and how much more will you give if you get back. 

Luke 7:11-17

11Soon afterward he went to a city called Na'in, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." 14And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 15And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 16Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" 17And this report concerning him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

A Poem: Jewels

"Jewels"

Round and round I go

So much my head begins to spin

Looking for an anchor

Looking for my home

So many ideas pepper the land of my mind

They shine like jewels so precious

Which to choose

Which to grab

My arms so full already

As I pass through the hills and valleys

Up the grade and down the slope

My arms begin to wear

Soar and stiffness sets in

Sweat rolls like the falls in paradise

To the plains I reach 

A sigh of relief comes over me

But the sun shines bright and bother my eyes

I cannot shade them

My arms so full

Hard to see squinting in pain

The temperature drops

The sun fades behind the clouds

And the thunder begins to clap

I hurry my pace to nowhere

Sting my arms cling to those jewels

The wind it hammers

Hardly can my feet stay beneath me

The rain sheets down

Soaked I weigh twice as much

Hurry hurry I run to nowhere

The path now rocky

I try to navigate

But I fall

All is out of my arm

All on the ground now dirty some broken

Release from my body

The stress the strain

Only one of the jewels now shine

Simple and small it calls to me

I pick it up and move forward

My burden light

My hope full

Easy I shall move

The storm has lifted 

Now I can see

I unencumbered 

I move forward and can see

Home

Somewhere Out There…

Its important to know where you’re from to figure out what you need to do to get where you want to go. Jesus came from the most unlikely of places. A unwed, poor mother in a time when poor unwed mothers would be stoned to death for having sex out of wedlock (adultery). Out of those circumstances we receive Jesus, a man that changed the world and has taught so many. He teaches to not judge but forgive, to not hate but to love and that he was willing to die a most horrible death for mistakes you have and will make. I invite everyone to take some time to study the teachings of Jesus. Whether a Christian or not he has some very powerful words. Even Grandi was a fan of Jesus, it was being turned away from a Christian church though that turned him off. I encourage all to love with blind eyes and welcome everyone. Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and tend to the sick. There was not caveat there. He didn’t say feed, cloth or tend to those that look like you. He didn’t say to just pay taxes that say are supposed to do that. God wants us to get our hands dirty. He wants us to humble ourselves and serve others in need with our own two hands. As someone who is a sinner I know that I have much to learn. I want to be a better person so I need study and practice. I look to Jesus for that. He fills me with a hope and a light that lifts me higher than I have ever felt. Each week I goto Church to learn and to give back. I go for community and to study and to find opportunities to help others. I thank God everyday for blessings he has bestowed me. With my eyes forward and my talents in hand I kneel humbly in the service of God and my fellow man. With God, Jesus and Holy Spirit as my guide I know I can accomplish anything.

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4and Ram the father of Ammin'adab, and Ammin'adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5and Salmon the father of Bo'az by Rahab, and Bo'az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri'ah, 7and Solomon the father of Rehobo'am, and Rehobo'am the father of Abi'jah, and Abi'jah the father of Asa, 8and Asa the father of Jehosh'aphat, and Jehosh'aphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi'ah, 9and Uzzi'ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki'ah, 10and Hezeki'ah the father of Manas'seh, and Manas'seh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josi'ah, 11and Josi'ah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni'ah was the father of She-al'ti-el, and She-al'ti-el the father of Zerub'babel, 13and Zerub'babel the father of Abi'ud, and Abi'ud the father of Eli'akim, and Eli'akim the father of Azor, 14and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eli'ud, 15and Eli'ud the father of Elea'zar, and Elea'zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

A Poem: Pull of the Hole

Pull of the Hole

Walking along the path I see that hole

Deep and wide anguish lies within

My attention wanders as I reflect

What am I?

Where am I going?

What is at my feet again?

Again the hole

I feel your pull as you neglect

Again and again I speak

I see your eyes wander

The disgust of your thought painted on your face

Boiling is the feeling that rises

The heat of my pains scorches my heart

Into your eyes I watch the blank stare

I wonder why you stab me so

I wonder why you choose to be blind

You're lost and in pain 

Yet you refuse my hand

Cool and welcoming from the heat of pain

Continue to walk I do

The sky wide and bright

So cool and free is the horizon

Trees reach to the sky

Clapping their hands for the beauty the see

Again I look down to ponder

And again I see that hole

Pull it does 

The gravity so strong

Into you eyes I feel the pull

I see the stare

I feel the bond

And you should not be left behind

Into the hole?

Out of the pain?

Where will I find the answer?

I pick flower on this day and try to reflect

Where, what rock holds the answer 

Lost In the Rule of It All?

“Yup yup, gotta follow the directions”, so many times I hear this echo in my mind. Particularly because I am a man and most times we don’t even take the directions out of the box. So many do I meet that want to “follow the directions”. It can be very helpful indeed but it doesn’t always work with humans. We are not entertainment centers that will be all good if we just follow the directions. Jesus came at a time when the Jewish people were lost. Many didn’t know the meaning of the word and some took it so strictly that they took the humanity out of it. Its like my step-son, who everyday is to come home and to his homework. I was taught by my father that its important to work hard and do the job right and from that I have reaped many benefits. I in turn try to teach that to my children. However, sometimes after a particularly bad day at school I should set the work aside and help him mend before moving forward. 

Jesus came at a crucial time to “reset” the law. It became about rules and commands rather than about love and ways to keep God’s people safe. Jesus came among us and loved us and tried to teach us to love. Many thought that the Son of God would bring a military victory over the romans and when the Jesus came acting like a “hippie” preaching peace and love many were confused, distraught and angry. Those in power in the Jewish temple were upset because Jesus was threatening to remove them or make them unimportant. So arrested him, had him beat, spit on, mocked. They made him carry his own cross across town, laid him down on it, nailed him to it hung him to hang and then stabbed him in the side for good measure. This to a man that preached peace and love and forgiveness. Some of his final words were even, “Forgive them father for they know not what they do.” With even his dying breaths Jesus loved. He loved to death rather. So, does God have rules? Yes, and they should be followed, but take time to understand them. God is no bully. He is full of love for all.

Luke 6:1-5

1On a sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?" 3And Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?" 5And he said to them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

A Poem: Mother

"Mother"

How can I understand you

All around it is hard to see

Where is the end or beginning

In each day like each breath

You rest right before my lips

Holding off the walls that fall

Protection is my aim

A shield with I cover

With my hands I try to hold all the pain

Water pulls the sand 

And so it tries to erode

Though I stand strong

In each days long

Sometimes I sorrow for fault

My metal weak for time distraction

And you deserve so much better

As the sun should rise high in the sky

So should you

A North Star for many

Guiding without asking 

She leads the lost and keeping them safe

The pit of hunger aches 

And the found trembles with disarray

Yet you fill the hole and stand last in line

Through the chaos of the storm

With debris thrown all over

You walk the aftermath

And regain order once again

The ground again seen

Order again returns

All by you loving hands

Giants may tower

The seas may be vast

The stars in the sky so endless

However this may be

You are more great

You hold much more

And love farther than it may be

I know your head may hang

And wonder where to go

But know that you are not over looked 

And we are glad that you make this home