Black and White

In the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial, wherein he was found 'Not Guilty' in the shooting death of Travon Martin, the race hustlers are now clamoring for air time. Benjamin Todd Jealous of the NAACP, Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and other race pimps are calling for the Justice Department to bring federal charges against Zimmerman. They skirt over the fact that, during the Zimmerman trial, over 60 young black men were murdered in Chicago alone. In interviews after the fact none of these race pimps could name even one of those murdered. I will believe the outrage of the black community, the most racist segment of American society, when I see the same outrage at the murder of blacks by blacks by the hundreds every year!

It is time America wake up and dump "PC", Political Correctness, as dishonest and harmful to our society! It's time we have a serious, frank conversation about race. The Civil War ended slavery in 1865 so I don't think slavery has any relevance to our current predicament. Drugs, out of wedlock births, a culture that values "cool" over education and "entertainment" that devalues human life...and especially women...are what need to be addressed head on. With a very few exceptions, most notably Bill O'Reilly, most journalists are too gutless to even address the issues for fear of being labeled: 'racist' or unsympathetic to the plight of blacks.

The label 'racist' has been thrown around so much that it's becoming irrelevant if not a bad joke. The word 'nigger' has become so overused by black rappers with no talent, other than being bad poets, that it has become a bad joke. White people have become afraid to say it so it has become: the "N" word. That's just more dishonest 'PC' crap! If we're afraid of words we'll never solve any real problems. So much for the First Amendment!

We've heard one black 'leader' after another simply ignore the fact that young black men are TEN TIMES more likely to commit murder than Whites and Hispanics combined, the facts of black on black crime, the 70 percent out of wedlock birthrate among blacks and the rampant illegal drug use among blacks in the inner city to claim the 'real' problems in the black community are poverty and unemployment! Those are issues that CAUSE poverty and unemployment!! Statistics have proven that over and over! And yes, there are a disproportionate number of black men in prison...because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes!!!

You would think the fact that WHITE people elected a back man for president...twice...would signal that the attitudes of White people have changed! But no.... Black 'leaders' want the government to do more! We're talking about a government that can't even effectively deliver the mail! All so-called black "leaders" really want is more power for themselves and they wouldn't have it if we all got along!

And what have our black President and black Attorney General done? They've made things worse! They've set race relations back, at least, a decade! In racial math, two wrongs don't make a right! No one alive ever owned a slave and no one now alive ever was a slave. We can't 'make up' for the past by coddling the great-great-great grandchildren of slaves. Blacks in the United States have a higher standard of living than ANY other black people on earth! Even those in poverty are better off than 90 percent of Africans! You don't hear that truth from any black 'leaders'! The reason is simple: black race pimps and white liberals NEED for blacks to feel downtrodden to maintain their own power!! If / when blacks wake to to realize they've been duped by white liberals and their own 'so-called' leaders...Jackson, Sharpton  and the rest will be dumped like yesterdays garbage!

I, like most, non-liberal, White people I know, am sick of turning on the news and hearing allegations of racism every day! Slavery ended a hundred and fifty years ago! The government has thrown billions and billions of dollars at the problems only to change nothing! It's time black people clean up their own  communities and stop blaming us for all their problems!

I am NOT a racist! I have too many other things to worry about to be concerned by skin color. Most people do!  There are too many problems in life already to manufacture another one where one doesn't need to be. SO GET OVER IT!!

Ramblings of an Old Guy Pt. 6

One thing I've noticed about growing older is that my perception of beauty has changed / is changing. While I still love looking a shapely, pretty woman I can't  help but see her in a kind-of time-lapse way in my mind. I wonder what she looked like as a little girl and what she will look like as an old woman. I realize now...very well...that physical beauty is fleeting. If you have it, it's usually only for a few years. It's the kind of beauty that fades away all too soon. There is another kind that grows with the years though.

While some older men chase young, beautiful girls I wonder what in the world they find to talk about?! Yes, youth and beauty are attractive but now having seen the world through the prism of some age other things have become much more important to me. First, I've found that there is almost always something beautiful about every woman. Real beauty, however, can only come from the inside.

I heard a quote attributed to Robert Redford once that said something like: "Women don't really get interesting until after 40." I'm pretty much in agreement with that sentiment. I'd much rather have someone interesting to talk to than an empty-headed beauty queen. It's not that I don't think a man should find a woman physically attractive at all. It's just that there are things that last much longer than pretty faces. Character leaps to mind here. A woman of Godly character is a much more rare, and more beautiful, creature.

As we go through life it seems to me that the only thing we really take with us are our fellow time travelers and our common experiences. It's just nice to be able to talk to someone who "remembers when". For example, it's kind of nice to be able to ask a woman where she was when Kennedy was killed and not have her think I'm talking about John-John! (My old joke is that I remember exactly where I was standing when it happened...on the grassy knoll reloading!! It's a little twisted, I know!)  Young girls just don't have enough life experience to have much to talk about.

The young, unconsciously, seem to think that they will be young forever...despite all evidence to the contrary. Young, beautiful women quickly learn the power they have over men. And, they learn to use it very effectively to get what they want. The danger in that, it seems to me, is that some only focus on their looks and forget that they will grow older someday. As these women grow older they don't have the other assets that some develop. Some older women, like 'we' ugly old men, learn to rely on intelligence and a good sense of humor, among the other weapons in their arsenals, instead of relying solely on their physical charms. And, truthfully, I prefer talking to an intelligent woman!

As a man I've never thought much about being physically handsome. Being handsome is not something I've ever been burdened with! (Oh, I know some men do focus on it but...they're the ones that don't get invited on hunting trips!) Most men would rather be thought of as strong in some way while most women would rather be thought of as beautiful. There are different kinds of strength like there are different kinds of beauty. The truth is strength is a quality of really beautiful women too.

In some ways I feel sorry for women who rely so much on their physical charms because such things always fade. In a similar way physical strength always fades. Character remains. Our character is the light that shines in us. As we grow older, good character can shine more brightly. I believe all people, men and women, should focus first on good character. It is only what we can take with us when they close the lids of our coffins that really matters after all.

I think it's possible to continue to grow spiritually, and as a person, for as long as we live. That means there's always room for our character to grow. There is always something new to learn or experience. People who live thus are always more interesting to me. Perhaps it's because they are less focused on themselves than young, beautiful people tend to be.

Of course there is always the reality that, as an old and ugly guy, I'm never going to attract a young, beautiful woman again so....out of self defense I guess I needed to change the way I see beauty anyway! Finding pretty women is easy enough. I've seen some grow up. It's learning to see myself as old enough to be their father that has been a little harder. It's a sad fact that I don't feel older! Like I said, I don't know that I'd have much to talk about with a young lady at any rate. I'm just learning to appreciate them as beautiful...young....ladies...in a paternal way of course!!

I think there is nothing more beautiful than a mature, Godly woman who is at peace with herself. There's no question there's a strength in such a woman. I also admire the strength of a Godly, mature man at peace with himself. There's a beauty in that. I know something about the difficulty on the road that leads there and I admire all those who have developed the character to travel it. I  have no desire to be rich or famous, and I'm never going to be pretty! I just want to be a man with strength of character; one who appreciates real beauty. If only it was that easy to find...

Impulse Control

Did you ever consider exactly what constitutes personal growth and maturity? It strikes me that a big part of maturity is learning impulse control. We are all born with the 'desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life' but the mature person knows that controlling those desires is necessary for the 'long game.' That is to say that that giving in to our desires for our immediate gratification as a way of life never allows us to fully mature.

I've been pondering boundaries the last couple of days and realize there are two sides to the coin. Society must set boundaries/rules of behavior for it's members so as to provide stability. These are the boundaries imposed on us from the outside. On the other side of the coin are the boundaries that we set for ourselves. These are the boundaries that come from within. These boundaries help us to control our impulses. They are also the lines we draw for other people in dealing with us too. These boundaries are closely related to integrity.

Our impulses can be almost anything. Spending money, losing ones temper, being violent, controlling ones tongue and controlling ones desires...all of these can be impulse control issues. The most obvious weaknesses in impulse control are seen in addictions.

It has been my observation that people with addictions, those that give in to their impulses, in one area of life often lack control in other areas of life. That is to say that alcoholics, for example, are often drug and sex addicts as well. Other addictions, like gambling, are less desires of the flesh than they are psychological addictions that, no doubt, influence endorphins and other brain chemicals related to those 'high' feelings.

While some addicts will tell you they were 'born that way' and their addiction is not a matter of character weakness like was once commonly believed. If that were true pharmaceutical treatments would effectively treat addictions...but they do not. Programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are more effective exactly because they address the character issues in a way not unlike religion.

I do not believe that anyone is a born addict. We can be born with predilections or weaknesses but too many people born with the same predilections make different choices. That's the key to addiction as far as I'm concerned...choices. The alcoholic chooses to put a bottle to their lips. The drug addict chooses to take their drug of choice. Regardless of how good an addiction feels, it can still be controlled by choice. To exercise our choice is to exercise our will power. The more often we do it, the stronger it becomes.

No therapy helps an addict until they decide that they want out. Again, they make the choice. When an addict does make the choice to end their addiction...almost any therapy will work to help them. Alcoholic Anonymous is effective precisely because it addresses character.

What some folks don't realize is that when an alcoholic or drug addict begins their addiction they stop growing and maturing at that age. They don't resume again until they stop using their drug. A thirteen year old who uses alcohol every time something upsets them and does so for twenty years is still thirteen emotionally when they stop using. The rest of us have to deal with life's upsets and pains every day without a drug to anaesthetize us. The only way to grow and mature in life is without chemicals to alter our perceptions.Therein lies the greatest danger of intoxicants.

Controlling our impulses, those that can be destructive to us, is an essential part of the maturation process. As children we are restricted from giving in to our impulses from the outside. A child, for example, might only eat candy and other sugary treats to the exclusion of more nutritious choices if left on their own. A wise parent sees to it that their children don't give into such impulses. They make sure that their children eat their vegetables! This is why it's critical that parents make the decisions, draw the behavioral boundaries, for their children until their children demonstrate the maturity to make wise choices for themselves.

We create boundaries for our own behavior/ impulses and boundaries we expect others to respect in interacting with us. For the sake of our psychological health we need to make these boundaries clear. The more clear these boundaries are the more fluid our interactions are. When we have strong personal boundaries that guide our own behavior we are more stable as individuals. When society has clear boundaries that dictate the behavior of its members it becomes more stable.

A big part of the Social Contract is having clear boundaries we can expect others to respect. We have the right to expect that they control their own impulses, at least in as far as we are concerned. For example: it is inappropriate to touch people we don't know in some ways. This assumes one can control ones impulses to do so and it assumes that other people accept this as a clear societal boundary.

One issue that must come up in any discussion about boundaries is, what I have come to refer to as, the mathematics of relationships. It is a very simple principle that simply says: X causes Y. When I treat someone X and they react Y I've learned where their 'button' is. Every time I want to elicit a Y response I know what to do...just treat them X. Since the formula is a relationship either side can change. That is to say that when someone doesn't want to be treated X anymore they need to stop reacting Y. That will take away the incentive of someone treating them X. Because all interactions between people are relationships they are fluid...either party can change.

We set our own boundaries. We need to make those clear. When we allow someone to cross those boundaries...we are, at least, partially at fault. The need for clarity in society and in our own lives is vitally important. You see there is a very simple psychological truth here...we teach people how to treat us. For our own sakes, and for the sake of society, we must draw clear boundaries of behavior. We must learn to control our own impulses within those boundaries. Until we learn to do those things we will not mature as individuals or as a society. Unfortunately this is something that can't be passed down like some other forms of knowledge. Every generation has to learn the importance of this principle. If ours does not we are headed for a great fall...

Boundaries

It is interesting to me that so many older cultures put such an emphasis on the rules of etiquette and behavior. The correct forms for ones various relationships draw clear boundaries for ones behavior. That is to say that one should treat a parent thusly, a grandparent is treated thusly, a friend, a neighbor, a stranger, a person of higher social status, one of lower social status etc., all are treated with different boundaries in mind. All the ancient cultures have clearly defined rules regarding how people should interact.

The Bible has been the primary source for rules of conduct between people in Western culture for centuries. It was accepted by our founding fathers as THE source of moral authority because they saw the common sense in it's laws regardless of whether one believes in it's theology or not. Our constitution nowhere says: "Thou Shalt Not Murder"...what it says is: "If a citizen commits murder, the state has the right to take away their life or liberty. Our founding fathers realized the NEED for a standard beyond the constitution that we can agree on. We need a common set of standards/boundaries that we can all live by.

There are a lot of people who hate the Bible because of it's assertion that it contains God's laws/boundaries. What the Bible says, and what most older cultures believe in some form, is that freedom only lies in the willing acceptance of the rules that govern life. Take sexual laws for example: The Bible outlines strict laws against incest, homosexuality, adultery, fornication and bestiality. Those that have the desires to engage in these practices hate to be told that their behavior is sinful. These are people who simply do not want to be told what to do or not do. They believe they should be "free".

Leaving aside the questions of sin and eternal life, the laws that the Bible advocates draw clear boundaries on the, very powerful, sex drive in human beings. To adhere to these laws provides the observant society greater stability.  There would be very few unwanted pregnancies and still fewer sexually transmitted diseases in such a society. Children in such a society would know who their parents are. There would be fewer divorces with less of the destructive impact on children and society that divorce creates. There would be less need for time in the court system to interject itself into the lives of families. The stability that such a society had would be felt in many areas of life.

But, there are too many people who want to follow their impulses...because they want to follow their impulses. They give no thought to what kind of society would develop if everyone did the same. We humans are naturally hostile to being told how to live...regardless of the logic of it. We 'think' we want a life without boundaries...until some of us think it through to it's logical conclusion...chaos and confusion. Many people simply don't care what effect such behavior leads to. They want what they want.

Many such people are hostile towards anything that tells them they are wrong and anyone or anything who attempts to enforce such standards. They hate the police, they hate the Ten Commandments, they even hate God.

Some of them advocate for anarchy, believing that all men can live in peace if allowed to do what they want. The lessons of history prove otherwise. Experiments in anarchy have typically ended in disaster.

Such thinking is immature and ill-reasoned and such people should never be allowed to be in authority over other peoples lives. Such people don't think about the long range implications of their behavior. The reality is many such people ARE in in authority in this country. The results have already proven disastrous...

A great many of the problems people have in relationships comes from having unclear boundaries. This is a simple truth that most counselors can tell you. It's a little harder to actually maintain those boundaries though. All of us have impulses. Not all of us have the same degree of control over them.

As Americans we like to think we are above such rules. We argue that we should be able to do what we feel. We may think that recognizing no such rules of etiquette/behavior gives us a greater degree of freedom. I posit here that all it gives us is a greater degree of chaos. History and psychology are on my side of the argument.

We NEED to bring back a common set of values that guide all our lives. I argue for the Bible, of course, because I believe it is God's Word. I don't believe it's necessary for every individual to believe that. I do believe that, as a society, it can only help us to have a belief in God. Just think of how the behavior of individuals changes when they believe they are being watched. I know we are being watched.

And I know I have to stand before God one day. That hasn't made me a perfect person...but it has made me a better person. It has given me a standard of behavior to aim for. I have a clear template for personal and spiritual growth in the scriptures. Not everyone will agree with me but the logic that we NEED a common standard is undeniable. We need boundaries...

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Finding Magic in the Mundane

There are many people who spend their lives going from one thrill to another. We sometimes call such folks "adrenaline junkies". It is as if they live their lives sporadically jumping from one thrill to the next. Their 'filler time' is mainly spent anticipating the next thrill. It seems to me that such folks miss out on most of life. They seem to only engage their awareness during what they consider their high points.

The rest of us know that, by far, most of life consists of the little things. It is finding joy in those little things that makes for a richer life to me. To live this way one must engage ones awareness.

Boredom seems to be the greatest curse in life for some people. When you find the joy in the little things boredom is never an issue. Washing the dishes or sweeping the floor may not be the most exiting parts of ones day but they are a necessary part of ones day...so finding joy even in them adds to the richness of life. The greatest benefit is, when you do find joy in the little mundane things...most of life becomes a joy!

In thinking about Zen of late, I've come to focus on the little, mundane things. Now when making my bed, or vacuuming my floors I don't think: "my life will start today when I'm finished with this". Now I extend my awareness to sense the small things. I take note of shapes, colors, textures, weights, sounds, smells and flavors. I accept them for what they are. Now I think: "this is my life". Thinking thusly has allowed me to slow down, smell the roses, and enjoy my days much more.

Zen teaches that we fully embrace the moment and not live in the past or the future. My faith teaches me the best way to let go of the past, that's where guilt and resentment reside, is to forgive everyone for everything. Don't let pettiness tie you down to the darkness. Reach for the light!

We can't live in the future either. So the best way to avoid worry and anxiety about the future...is living in the moment. When we do focus on the future, focus on hope! These tools and love...are the best ways to live in the present.

Learning to love, at least, something about where you live, what you do for a living and the people around you helps you to find some joy in the simple, daily things. Real love helps us to accept things and people as they are...not as we want them to be.

This way of seeing things allows us to uplift the mundane, to find life in it. It's a simple thing, not worth mentioning to most folks I suppose. But, it allows us to find a quiet joy not to have any greater expectation of the little things in life.

Quiet joy is what I live for these days. Forming something new in steel. Playing with my dog/best friend Sarah Belle. Watching the sunset. Enjoying a good meal. Playing Scrabble with the best person I know on earth...my mother. Feeling the cool of the evenings. Having a good conversation. Reading a good book. Helping a friend. Entering into my private, intimate walk with God through prayer. And, I can't forget laughter! These are the things I've come to look forward to. They're nothing great or exiting...but they make up the biggest part of my life.

There is a kind of magic in the ordinary things that we seem to miss until we slow down and take note. This means more than just being awake...it means being aware.

Living life is like enjoying a good book, every page should be relished. There are miracles all around, every day, if we'll reach out and notice. Living otherwise really isn't living...it's just hitting the high points. And, reading the Cliff notes edition means missing all the good stuff!

Zen

As a devout person I shun those practices dedicated to false gods and those teachings that are contrary to my faith. As a thinking person I recognize that every culture and every religion has some truth. I try to embrace truth wherever it comes from. As a martial artist I was exposed early on to Zen and the practice of meditation. While I am devout in my Christian faith, I believe Zen offers a traditional wisdom that has been discovered by many cultures in many ages.

Zen is partially a school of psychology and such aims at the direct experience of life. Zen postulates that there are three 'thought actions', the first is sensation, the second perception and the third conception. Our sensory systems receive data but it's not until we become aware of the data that we perceive it. Our conception is what we think, how we feel etc., about our perceptions. I can pick up an apple but until I perceive that I have done so it is only un-interpreted sensory data. Once perceived..."it is an apple" I then process...I like apples, they taste good, so I think I'll bite into this one.


It is the last, our conception stage that can become a problem. I can harbor preconceived notions about my apple that can alter my perception of it. That is what can interfere with my direct experience of life. The person who thinks of bears as warm and cuddly will conceive of them quite differently than someone who thinks of them as wild animals that can rip your arm off. The reaction that these two people have when they encounter a bear could be very different based on their conceptions.

Zazen, or seated Zen meditation, aims at allowing sensory data to arise in the mind, it can then be perceived but one learns not to attach any conceptions to the perception. That is to say, I am aware that I'm holding an apple...I feel the weight of it, the shape of it, the texture of it, the temperature of it but I don't go on and make any judgments about it.

Now our minds are trained to go on and make judgments about our perceptions so we have to un-train them by allowing those thought actions to simply arise and drift away instead of attaching to them. I will naturally go on to think "I like apples" or whatever judgments I have of apples once I've perceived an apple. It takes the discipline of meditation to let go of those conceptions / judgments and simply stick with our perceptions.

The idea is simple, I can miss things about life by attaching conceptions / judgments to them. My preconceived notions can interfere with my perceptions so Zen aims at letting them go.

One thing that I find quite fascinating is that we all naturally experience the mind-set of stopping at perception. When we go for a walk or a run or some other common activity we can lose our sense of self in the activity. We cease to think: "I am walking" and the activity simply becomes: "walking". We become so engaged in the activity that we lose our sense of "I".

Asian philosophers took this very natural phenomenon and asked how they could achieve that sense all the time. Most schools of seated meditation began in a such a way. The aim was losing the sense of "I" in an activity. This is why Zen became so popular with the Samurai and other warriors. When one loses ones sense of I in an activity one can react much faster because conceptions / judgments don't enter into the picture. You react quite differently to an attack when you don't stop to think: "I can be injured or killed"...you simply react to the moment.

In Japanese this sense of losing oneself in ones activity is called Zammai. (Called Samahdi in India) It is a natural state of mind that comes from knowing ones activity so well one no longer has to think about 'how to' do it.

In the path to mastery it is a natural progression that comes with practice. We begin in an Unconscious / Unskilled phase...we don't know what we are doing and don't have a clue how to do it. We progress to a Conscious / Unskilled phase...now we know we don't have a clue! With continued practice we reach a Conscious / Skilled phase...we now know what we are doing but have to think about it while doing it. Finally we reach the Unconscious / Skilled  phase...we know what we are doing so well we no longer have to think about it. We just push the 'activate button' in our brains and the action follows. We no longer have a sense of "I" in the action. It comes automatically.

One can only experience this way if one is fully in the present. If one lives in the past or future in ones mind it is impossible to experience correct perception because we are living in our conceptions. One only experiences guilt and resentment by living in the past. One only experiences worry and anxiety by pre-conceiving the future. Zen teaches one to live fully in the moment where such conceptions / emotions are impossible. Such conceptions keep us from fully perceiving the present. They keep us from fully living.

That's part of the beauty of Zen... It isn't really a religion in the Western sense. It is a way of approaching daily life. It allows us to directly connect to life instead of our preconceived notions about life.

The ultimate of aim of Zen, of the zammai experience, is Satori...enlightenment. That is to lift the veil that Buddhists believe clouds the mind from perceiving the ultimate reality...that everything is one. Therein lies the faith that Buddhists have...another way of perceiving reality.

On Faith

Faith is one of the most fascinating subjects in life to me. I believe it is essential to a good life. It comes in forms that we, sometimes, don't immediately recognize. We normally think of religion as being the only realm where faith resides. That is simply not the case. Science, and many other fields, require a degree of faith.

Superstition, too, is a kind of faith. Religion and superstition are related but they are not the same despite the claims of some non-religious skeptics. A superstition is an unreasoned belief in supernatural causation. That is to say that a superstitious person has no evidence for believing one thing causes another. When we believe that walking under a ladder causes bad luck, we have no natural law or evidence that we can point to that makes us believe in such a relationship. We just believe it anecdotally.

Modern science may be described as an effort to find the natural laws that connect cause and effect. When we drop an apple it falls to the earth. We've discovered that gravity is the natural law that governs the way our apple falls. Now we understand the cause-effect relationship that exists between our dropping an apple and that apple falling to earth. With that understanding we can accurately predict what will happen when we drop our apple. Faith is removed from the equation...unless you consider our belief in the law of gravity a kind of faith. (Quantum mechanics makes the claim that the law of gravity and other natural laws are a matter of probabilities...there is a one in a trillion, trillion...or some such high number...chance that our dropped apple will simply float away.)

Those that believe in evolution as the explanation for the beginnings of life on earth are usually quick to tell you that they believe in science not faith. Now, I have to say that I believe in the scientific method. But the scientific method is rigorous and demands that proof only exists in reproducible results so, the theory of evolution is not, strictly speaking, good science. Believers in the theory have the faith that it is true. They go forth with that faith to see what supports their view and often dismiss what does not. Faith creates in the believer a world-view that allows them to make sense of the world around them. The faith of an evolutionist tells him something quite different about the natural world than the faith of a creationist does. The facts are the same. It is our interpretation that is different because of our different faiths.

Faith imparts an expectation in the faithful. Those that believe in ghosts, for example, are most often the ones to see them while non-believers rarely have such encounters. Those with the faith that such things exist expect to see them so their minds may fill-in-the-blanks when a different explanation isn't immediately apparent.

Our minds impose order on the world around us when we hold such views. We tend to only see what supports our world view and ignore what does not. That's something that all human beings do. It can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing in that it allows us to make some sense out of the world. It helps us to explain things that we might not be able to otherwise. It also allows us to make some predictions about the future. It can be a curse in the sense that our world view may not allow us to perceive things that don't neatly fit into it.

For example, the scientist that doesn't believe in UFO's may dismiss any evidence to the contrary as something in his world view...like swamp gas. For those who are believers it's no stretch of the imagination to see one. The believer may even jump to the conclusion that they've seen one because of their belief. Now some flying objects are unidentified but whether or not they are alien spacecraft or some other unknown phenomenon is the question. Starting off as a skeptic seems to me to be the most prudent approach.

A 'reasoned faith' is one that starts off with some measure of skepticism. That's what separates it from superstition. A reasoned faith has something in common with science here. While I'm a firm believer in 'good' science...I don't believe the scientific method can answer everything. Some things require a leap of faith.

It becomes obvious from the above that faith is even more tricky a subject than it may first appear.

As a man of faith, I believe that the Bible is the revealed word of God. That is to say first that there is a God and He cares for what goes on here so much that He revealed knowledge to us that we wouldn't easily find otherwise. My faith may be considered simple superstition by some skeptics but my belief in the causal relationship between say...disobedience to God's commandments and our misery is a reasoned belief. Still...it requires a leap of faith.

I can't 'prove' God exists or that He left us a written 'users guide' for our benefit. Where I see a clear thread between the 66 books of the Bible, written by 40 different authors over the course of some four thousand years...others see only a collection of myths and plagiarized materials from other cultures. I  have faith that God had His hand in guiding the authors and compilers of the Bible. I can't prove it to someone who doesn't want to believe but I am absolutely convinced of it. There are so many ways that the Bible is not like any other book in the world. But, I'll never convince a non-believer of any of them. And, that doesn't bother me in the least.

My faith gives me the certainty that neither the universe nor life are accidental. My faith assures me that history has a beginning, a purpose and an end. My faith tells me that there is a missing dimension in human psychology, one unknown to most people. That missing dimension is the influence of a spiritual realm on our reality. Science can't prove or disprove that. It takes a leap of faith.

What I know is this...without my faith I don't know if life would be bearable. I see people all around that seem to live hopeless, cruel and unhappy lives without any faith and I honestly don't know how they do it.

Am I deluded? As a person who tries to be intellectually honest I have to allow for the possibility that I may be. And, that doesn't bother me in the least either.

My faith has added so much to my life that I can't begin to communicate it all. I live with the quiet assurance that what happens on this little blue planet means something more. My faith tells me that love is the best way of life. My faith tells me that other people are my extended family. My faith tells me that every one of them matters. This is not all there is. My faith tells me that God will not allow us to destroy ourselves. My faith gives me hope for the future. My faith tells me that there is a better world coming.

My faith prompts me to work on becoming a better man because it tells me I have to stand before God one day. What we do matters.

While other people describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious", I'm not really sure what that even means. What I am is a man of faith in God.

I can't imagine living life any other way.

Dr. Warren Donworth

I saw a book years ago that was titled: Meetings With Remarkable Men. While I only skimmed the book, it has struck me over the years that the direction of our lives can change overnight by our encounters with such people. I believe God sometimes puts such men in our paths to teach us about life. I've been very fortunate in my life to know a few remarkable men. One of the most remarkable I've known is a man named Warren Donworth.

Dr. Donworth is a professor of Welding Technology at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. A few years ago I decided to go back to school to learn welding and blacksmithing. I looked all around only to find that the best program in the country was 20  minutes from my doorstep. ACC, like most community colleges, has a welding program that was started to fill a need in the community. When Dr. Donworth took over the program it was set to be discontinued. He was tasked with rejuvenating it. In what can only be described as pure genius, Dr. D expanded the welding curriculum to include classes in Art Metals. He reasoned that some people who would like to learn to weld didn't necessarily want to go into technical welding. Some people just want to use welding skills to make metal art.

The program has proved to be a tremendous success. The Art Metals program expanded to include blacksmithing and jewelry making. The energy in the welding department now is palpable. People are just plain excited to take classes there! The addition of art metals has proven to be synergistic as well. Technical welders look over and see artists making metal sculptures and want in on it. Art students look over at technical welding classes and see the potential for a new career and want in on that! People now come from all over the country to join the program. And all of this because of a remarkable man thinking outside of the box.

Dr. Donworth holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Administration and wrote his dissertation on welding technology in Texas community colleges. Sitting in on one of his classes makes a few things immediately apparent. The man is a genius. He loves what he does and he instills that love in his students. He is the kind of teacher that makes learning exiting, fun and practical. He uses his deep, resonate voice and his vast knowledge and experience to make difficult concepts crystal clear. This man is a true teacher and motivator.

While Dr. Donworth and his lovely wife Koma have no children of their own, Dr. D has become a father-figure to hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of students over the years. His logic is simple...the college experience exists to get people into the work force. Taxpayers subsidize the students he teaches and he figures that they deserve to get a return on their investment. With that in mind Dr. D connects both former and current students with the work force opportunities in welding and welding inspection. He maintains the relationships and connections he's made, in some cases, for many years. When asked what his favorite thing is he is quick to answer: “Launching careers.”

One of the most remarkable things about Dr. D is the fact that he could go anywhere he wants and do anything he wants but he chooses to teach at a community college. He even stepped down as the department head of the program he created...just to teach. He was born to do it. He's probably launched more careers than any other instructor I've ever met. Any of his students will tell you how lucky they feel to have had him in their lives. I'm certainly one!

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Dr. D is that, despite his higher education,  he has maintained his common sense! ( The old joke is that BS doesn't mean Bachelor's of Science, it means: BS! MS means: "More of the Same", and PhD means: "Piled Higher and Deeper"! ) Dr. D doesn't live in any Ivory Tower. He's often been referred to as a "Blue Collar PhD". He's one of those rare men that has maintained his connection to reality despite his lofty education.

One need only get him talking about politics to see that his common sense guides his thinking. More rare yet is that he is a conservative in world known to be mostly inhabited by liberals. That in it's self is enough to tell you he is his own man. He embodies the American spirit through and through. He's innovative, he's independent, he believes in giving back to his community and he's a light in a dark world...the kind American students need desperately. ( Now if we can just convince him to run for office!...Or, at the very least, clone him!! )

One may read this and think that it's only about Dr. Donworth. That isn't true. You see, I've been blessed not only to have this remarkable man as a teacher but I have the honor of knowing him as a friend as well. In a sense this is about how my life has been rewarded because of him. I am able to do what I do, and live where I live today, because of my friend Dr.Warren Donworth.

Thanks Warren...

Onward and Upward into the Light!

We Remember...

This nation has poured out the blood of it's sons and its treasure to free the oppressed in every corner of the globe. The American Man-at-Arms has helped to end slavery, Nazism,
Communism, petty dictatorships and oppressive regimes all over the earth. They did it out to the belief that all men should be free. That's an American ideal.

 It is true that I could simply give God the credit and ignore the men who have died in the wars that we've fought. But, the scriptures tell me that there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friend.

As a Christian, I don't believe it is appropriate to honor all holidays. National holidays, however, are another matter. I am an American and as an American, I believe we all should acknowledge the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. Holidays like Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day are a part of our national heritage. On our national holidays I believe we should acknowledge the sacrifices of the men who have given so much for us...

Christ gave His life for all of us. He lived a sinless life and He gave His life's blood to pay for my sins. My first duty, above and beyond anything else in life, is to honor and serve God. But, I am not blind...There have been too many others who have sacrificed their own lives for the liberty of their countrymen. It is the very least we can do to acknowledge those sacrifices.

I have no doubt that God's hand was in the founding of this exceptional nation. I have no doubt that we have had divine guidance and protection in our history. God has used this nation to do a part of His work on earth. He has used men and women knowingly and unknowingly to fulfill His purpose. What other nation in the history of the world has been so selfless in freeing oppressed people? What other nation has been so generous? What other nation has beaten it's enemies then rebuilt their countries and forgiven their debts? What other nation has shined so brightly? What other nation has been such a beacon of freedom to the world? It is the American Man-at-Arms that has selflessly served as an instrument of peace and freedom in the world for over two centuries.

On this Memorial Day we remember all those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy. On this day we honor their sacrifices.  Like the old saying of veterans goes... "All gave some, some gave all". We honor them because it is the right thing to do.

I know one day all those who died for our freedoms will breathe again. They didn't all know that...and still they fought.

We Remember...

Greater Love has no man...

In Praise of MBFTND

Man's Best Friend The Noble Dog...

I am constantly in awe of dogs. I sometimes hold them in higher esteem than I do other human beings. Dogs understand love, loyalty, affection, friendship, joy, forgiveness, gratitude...all the good stuff! Internet news is full of stories about dogs saving people, becoming friends with some other animal and showing loyalty to their friends, some even after death.

Dogs are capable of unconditional love. They don't judge someone by their race or economic standing. They don't care what someone looks like or how intelligent they are. Dogs see through to the core of people. If my dog doesn't like someone, that's reason enough for me to hold them suspect.

Dogs are beings that live to please the person or family they live with. They are capable of bringing so much love and joy into a home. My girl, Sarah Belle, has made my house a home because of the goodness she brings to it.

I can't understand why some people get dogs only to chain them up or put them in a fenced enclosure and only pay attention to them when the mood hits them?
Some people get them as puppies and them virtually ignore them when they're grown? There are some people who just don't seem worthy of a dogs love to me. Then there are those who get them to intentionally abuse them or fight them.

It breaks my heart to hear someone has abused a dog. I've heard and seen dogs that have been abused, tortured and neglected. I've seen dogs who have had their legs cut off. I've seen dogs who have had acid poured on them, some that have been set on fire and some that have been wrapped in garbage bags and thrown into the trash. I've even seen a couple who have had all that happen to them. All of those things were done out of heinous cruelty...a cruelty that most animals aren't even capable of...only humans are.


I'm ashamed to admit it but, when I was young, I was cruel to the dogs around me. I didn't torture or kill them. I was just mean to them. I had a childhood filled with alcoholism, anger and violence. It all seemed to roll down on me because I was the bottom of the totem pole. Only dogs were lower so I took out my helplessness and my anger on them.

I didn't know that a dog would have been the very answer to my prayers.
I didn't know that I could have had a best friend. I could have had unconditional love and affection from the very ones I was cruel to... It breaks my heart to think about it. My Sarah Belle has taught, is teaching, me so much...

I've already learned things about love and loyalty that I never knew. All from my Sarah Belle...

Dogs are a gift from God I'm sure of it! I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn one day that my Sarah Belle is actually an angel. I know she's a blessing...

Thank You God...

Ramblings of an Old Guy! PT.5

I remember once reading a story about a sniper in Vietnam. On one occasion he was operating at night with a star-light scope. The jungle was so dark that not even starlight shone through. Through his scope he watched as a line of North Vietnamese slowly made their way across his field of vision. Each of them kept one hand on the man in front of him as they traveled, single file, through the dense jungle.

The sniper, using a silencer, shot the man in the rear first. The others kept moving forward, unable to see anything in the darkness. Because of the silenced shot, they were unaware of the man in  the rear being shot. The sniper then shot the next man in the rear. The column kept moving. He went through the entire column until he reached the man in the lead. As the sniper watched, the man in the lead got on his hands and knees to feel his way along the, now dead, column of men that had been following. He felt each of the bodies in the column. He knew that a sniper had dispatched the other men without a sound. The lead man then just stood up and waited for the next round and his fate.

In a way that is something of what it is like to grow older. You grow up and older with the people of your own generation until you all reach the age where some illness or accident begins to take out the people you have journeyed through life with.

As you grow older your bodies systems begin to feel the strain. They begin to malfunction and shut down. You lose the abilities you once had. Your eyesight. Your strength. Your hearing. It can be different for different people but, in general, you begin to share common ailments. You begin to use more and more pharmaceuticals for various pains and other complaints. One by one you watch your fellow travelers through time succumb to illness and die. At some point a fatalism takes hold of you and you simply stand up and wait for your own fate.

It is true that there is a sadness that comes with growing older. We lose the abilities that we once had. We lose friends and family that we once had. As we find what we really love, we have fewer and fewer people to share it with. That tempers the experience of having attained our dreams. There are loved ones I've lost that I would love to share some things I've accomplished with.

Death is inevitable for us all. We will all experience pain but, like the old saying goes, suffering is optional. It is here where we can exercise our freedom of choice. Each of us can decide how we will face the inevitable. The character that we've spent our lives developing reaches it's zenith here. We can simply stand up and wait for our fate or we can start living!

It seems to me that those older folks I've observed as being the happiest have a few traits in common. One such trait is that they never lose their sense of awe. Life always holds some new things to learn. There are wonders all around us. Losing our sense of wonder can cause us to lose our motivation to get up in the mornings. That's what depression does. There is no question that growing older can make one depressed. I've been there myself.

What helped me get beyond my depression is the same thing that is helping me cope with growing older...gratitude. I found, in the midst of my depression, that giving thanks to God for the gift of this life on a daily basis began to completely change the way I saw life. I stopped seeing it as a burden and began seeing it as a blessing. That same attitude has helped me deal with the inevitable end of life. Like a good Buddhist will tell you...life is not a thing to be held, it's a process to be participated in. I think of it as something like a song or a book. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. We can cease to participate in it...but we won't stop time...it will still end. So why not be engaged in the process?!

It is with these insights that I choose to participate in life. I choose to live and experience the wonder of it all. I choose awe and gratitude as ways of life. They give me a reason to get up in the mornings.

Something else I've noticed about happy older folks is that they have learned to love. They love their families, their friends, their lives, they love God...whatever. I have come to believe that the essence of love is extending our sense of ourselves. This is the 'sine qua non', the essential ingredient, to a happy life. We extend our sense of self to include our families, our friends, our pets...even our sports teams. We begin to see others as a part of us so what happens to them...happens to us. We mourn with those who mourn, we rejoice with those who rejoice.

I have come to realize that the universe is vast...so there is an unlimited source of things to come to love. I can extend my sense of myself for...an eternity! In my own limited way I think that attitude is teaching me something about God. My love for Him comes first...always. God is all about love. He gave us His law out of His love for us. He gave us His only begotten son out of His love for us! He is the source of all love, of all good things, and I want to be connected with the source of all love. Now that makes life worth living!

Something else about God...He is always there...unchanging.  No matter what changes I go through, He is my anchor. He gives me a purpose for life...a big part of that is learning to love. I'm not sure how people that don't believe in Him even get by day to day. I can't imagine my life without my walk with God. I know that whatever I go through, He'll be there beside me. Knowing that, I think I can face almost anything...even growing older!!

Out of the Darkest of Darkness

Just imagine...you're a 20 year old single mother that has just lost your child in a custody battle with the state. The next thing you know, you're abducted by a sexual predator.  For the next ten years of your life you are locked up in a strange home and brutally raped and beaten by your captor on a regular basis. You have no control over anything in your life. You are treated only as a thing to be used.You can't choose what or when you eat. You can't choose when or where you sleep. You are not allowed outside. You are not allowed to speak to anyone. You become pregnant and are starved and beaten by your captor until you miscarry your unborn child...five times over the ten years you spend in hell. You are beaten so severely that your face needs reconstructive surgery and you lose your hearing in one ear. Your only escape is in your sleep and your nightmares make even that hell...for ten years...for ten years. Such is the story of Michelle Knight, now 32.

In the same building two other young women were being held and treated the same way. Amanda Berry, now 27, and Gina De Jesus, 22. They were not allowed to see, or speak to, each other for most of the ten years they were captive. Amanda's mother died while Amanda was held captive. Her mother never gave up hope of seeing her daughter again. Now Amanda will never see her mother again in this life. Amanda bore a child to her captor, a child born of kidnapping and rape. She has, no doubt, been torn between her feelings of repulsion, fear and loneliness and her natural feelings of love for her child. Her child, a little girl, was locked in the same home. In the short six years of her life she has never seen or played with another child. It has been reported that her biological father took her to the park on, at least, one occasion. Beyond that she has never been outside. She has never been to a doctor. She's never been to a playground, a movie, a birthday party or even to school. She has seen things that no child should ever see. Now, she will grow up knowing what a monster her biological father was. She will need to make peace with that.


Gina was the friend of her captors daughter before she was abducted. Perhaps her betrayal was the worst...the father of her friend was the monster she didn't see.

These three young suvivors were recently released from the hell they were held in for ten years...for ten years... Many facts are yet to come out in the investigation but the worst part of this nightmare is over for these women. Now their healing can begin.

The rabid animal that perpetrated this heinous evil had no remorse upon being caught. He was even cocky according to police. He stated that he was 'cold-blooded' and a 'sex addict'. His only regret was being caught. He is charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape...for the nightmare that he put these innocent young women through for ten years...for ten years. He may be charged with murder for the unborn children he forcefully caused their mother to abort. The District Attorney in charge of this case may seek the death penalty. You can rest assured that he awaits an eternal death...

To kidnap someone for an hour brings the same charge that doing so for ten years brings? To rape someone for years brings the same charge as raping someone once? It seems our laws just aren't equipped to deal with the magnitude of such evil. It is almost incomprehensible even to other kidnappers and rapists. Make no mistake though...there are others out there doing similar things. He, and those like him, are like a vile cancer in the human race. They must be cut out and removed for the good of all.

On a personal level, a part of  me would like to have an hour with the low life scum that did this. He would beg for death before that hour was over! Another part of me knows that to do such things would be to do damage to my own soul. It would be lowering myself to the level of this rabid animal. That's one reason why it is left to the state to exact justice and not to individuals. It keeps us from becoming as low as this scum.

What I would like to see the government do in this case is deliver real justice. I would like to see this scum chained up in a small cell wherein he would be beaten and raped on a daily basis; given only enough bread and water to survive and left in that condition for the remainder of his miserable life.  The punishment should fit the crime...an eye for an eye. There are times when the state must "draw a hard line" and show no mercy. Individuals are called on to turn the other cheek for their own good but for there to be peace the state must pursue justice. Human life is so precious that taking it demands a life in it's place. That's the kind of justice the Bible advocates.

The press has approached this story like it's for our entertainment. It is not. This is about the lives of our fellow human beings. It's too easy for this story to be just the latest news sensation. This is about real people...touched by real evil. It should touch each of us because these women are a part of our family. It is our compassion that separates us from the rabid animals that commit such atrocities.

It's too easy to get caught up in thoughts of what I would like to do to the depraved scum who put these young women through such a nightmare. It's not about me though. It's not even about him. God will deal with him. He will burn in hell and even his memory will be forgotten. This is about the four innocent lives devastated by their encounter with such darkness. And, it is about the triumph of the human spirit despite the evil that tried to destroy it.

First, I have to note of the courage of Amanda Berry, the young mother who found the strength to call for help and end this ten year nightmare in hell. Perhaps it was the love for her daughter that gave her the strength to overcome the fear that must have gripped her. All these young women likely suffered from the Stockholm Syndrome and who knows what other issues.

I am in awe that all three of these women are said to be in good spirits after their ordeal. This would have driven many people insane. But, these women walked away. Their strength speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. They survived. They survived! That means they win! Their ordeal will NOT define them! Though it is common for people that have been treated so to feel guilty for their own actions. These women have NOTHING to feel guilty for. They went into 'survival mode'...and they survived! Realizing that will be a part of their healing process. They can now walk in the sun and hold their heads high.

My heart and my prayers go out to these young women. They will need a great deal of time and space now. They will need the love and support of their family, their friends and their communities. I understand their community has already established a fund to help them recover. It has found donors from compassionate people all over the world.

It will, no doubt, take years for these women to heal but, by God's grace, they will heal. May God give them  the strength to testify against the monster who did this. May He give them His grace and His spirit to heal... May they be in all our prayers because they are a part of our human family...made in the image of the Living God.

_______________________________________________________________________

"I'm here, I'm free now"... Amanda Berry

Born of a Virgin

Did you ever wonder why God chose to send Christ to us through a virgin giving birth? His plan of salvation could have been anything He wanted…He is God. Obviously He didn’t choose to incarnate Christ through a married woman. Any fruit of that union would always remain suspect. No one would believe the child was the son of God. Beyond that, however, God wanted to teach us something about His plan for mankind. The story of Christ being born of a virgin holds a much richer significance for His people.

Remember that the Bible is something like a first grade primer. The Creator of the universe is attempting to teach mortal beings with three pound brains His spiritual truths so He uses language and symbols we can understand. God uses similes, metaphors, analogies and allegories of things we do understand to give us a glimpse of deeper truths. Marriage, birth, fishing, carpentry, and blood sacrifices etc. are all a part of our world so God uses them to teach us those deeper truths.

In the case of Christ’s stepping out of eternity to walk among us as one of us, God uses the birth of His only begotten son through a virgin as a way to teach us about the destiny of His other children. Three important images are presented in the story of Christ’s incarnation: a pure virginal woman, marriage and birth. These three symbols are important themes used throughout the New Testament to teach us greater truths.

We should first examine the story of Christ’s birth then each of these symbols for what they represent and what God is teaching us.

Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) was betrothed to the carpenter/ builder Joseph when the angel Gabriel came to her and told her she was to bear a child. Mary was a virgin, untouched by a man…neither had she ever served another god. A betrothal in the Judea of Mary’s time was quite different than today. The marriage would have been arranged by her parents. Joseph was probably a much older man, established in his career and able to support a family. The betrothal was considered a binding legal contract. Jewish custom recognized a betrothal as a marriage even before consummation. Such an agreement could only be broken by an official decree of divorce.

When Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy he wrestled with what to do. The law allowed that he could have her brought before the elders to be stoned to death for infidelity. He thought instead to quietly divorce her without making it public until an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel explained that Mary was to fulfill the prophecy that a virgin would give birth to the one who would be the savior. Joseph, being a righteous man, obeyed what the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary home as his wife. He didn’t touch her until after Christ’s birth.

The rest of the story is well known except, perhaps, for the fact that most of worldly Christendom venerates the story of Christ’s birth and Mary the mother of Christ as the “Virgin mother of God”*.
Mary was no longer a virgin after Christ’s birth.  She went on to bear several children that were Jesus half-brothers and sisters. What I would draw the reader’s attention to here is that Mary was a devout and righteous woman, legally betrothed when the Holy Spirit came to her and impregnated her with the one who would be Christ.

Both the nations of Israel, and later the church, are symbolized as a woman in the scriptures because it is through women that new lives come into existence.  The church is likened to a virgin, a pure and chaste woman untouched by a man. A harlot is symbolic of a false church because she has allowed other spirits to enter her. Mary was a type of the church. Her story, the story of a virgin giving birth, is recorded in God’s word both as history and as a lesson for His church.
The story of the virgin birth is often overlooked by Sabbatarian churches because it’s the focus of so much attention by Catholics and Protestants. Ironically those who focus so much on it don’t actually seem to know, or care, what the scriptures really say. They accept tradition in place of scriptural teaching. While the story has been twisted and skewed by non-biblical sources over the centuries, God ensured that we have the scriptures to come back to for the truth.  

This brings us to the symbolism of marriage used in scripture.

When God began working with Israel He did so before giving them His Holy Spirit to dwell within them. He entered into a covenant relationship with the patriarch Abraham. That covenant included Abrahams descendants, the physical nation of Israel. That’s the way God deals with His people, through covenants. A covenant, ‘brith’ in Hebrew, is a kind of binding legal contract. Both parties in a contract agree to do something for the other. The covenant God made with Israel is likened in the scriptures to a marriage covenant. It was in affect long before the marriage ceremony. We know that God will one day make Israel His bride. Because Israel didn’t live up to their part of the covenant that relationship changed. Some say it was transferred to the church but it would be more accurate to say it was extended to include the church.

One metaphor used in the scriptures for physical Israel, those who are descendants the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is of a tree, a living thing connected to the source of life. When Israel disobeyed God and would not live up to their part of the covenant God made with their forefathers God changed the nature of the covenant He had made with them. The tree was metaphorically pruned then He grafted in Gentiles, those who were not physical descendants of the patriarchs, onto the tree. God is still betrothed to Israel but the physical nation of Israel has been altered to include some Gentiles. Thus the New Testament church, the future Bride of Christ, is made up of physical and spiritual Israelite's.

While the new covenant Christ spoke of is yet to come, the betrothed are legally bound by that covenant now. The covenant will be officially sealed with the marriage ceremony of the Lamb after the return of Christ. This is very much like Mary being betrothed, legally bound, before her marriage to Joseph. Mary was impregnated with the Holy Spirit while betrothed but before her marriage ceremony. The members of the Body of Christ, the church, have been given the Holy Spirit before the marriage of the lamb. In both cases a marriage covenant was entered into.

Members of The Body of Christ enter into a new covenant with God when they accept Christ and begin to obey God. Remember that a covenant is a contract in which both parties agree to do something for the other.

The church, the spiritual organism that is the likened to the Body of Christ, will one day officially become the Bride of Christ. The Body of Christ is the betrothed of God and receives Gods Spirit in a way not unlike the way Mary did. The church is, in a sense, impregnated by God.

This brings us to the symbolism of birth used in the scriptures. The story of Mary and Christ’s birth reveals an important part of Gods plan to His people.

The story of Christ’s birth is closely related to the doctrine of being born again as will be shown. The process of being ‘Born Again’, however, is widely misunderstood.  The scriptures are clear, to enter God’s Kingdom one must be ‘born again.’ Most evangelical Christians believe that they are born again for simply accepting Christ as their savior. A study of the scriptures will reveal a different picture of these teachings than the ones widely held.  

To be born again means to be born of the spirit. All those born of the spirit ARE spirit. A careful study of the third chapter of John will make that clear. The scriptures teach that only spirit beings may enter the Kingdom of God. Christ was the firstborn of God and until Christ returns and those dead in Him are resurrected and those living believers are changed into spirit beings no one else will be born of the spirit.

In a sense Christ did the reverse of what His brethren will do. Christ was born as a physical, mortal human being. He stepped out of eternity and became flesh; he went from being spirit into being born a physical being. Those sons and daughters of God yet to be born will go from being born of the flesh to being born of the spirit. God’s children will step into eternity. God’s new Sons and Daughters will be born again when Christ returns. They will be born of the spirit by being given spirit bodies. Mary bore a sinless being.  When the church bares God’s sons and daughters they too will be sinless because they will no longer sin.

The scriptures are full of such parallels. Consider one example in the story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac to prove his faith towards God. God showing His faith towards us, so to speak, sacrificed His only son Christ for us. As believers grow in grace and knowledge, obey God, and study God’s word they will discover more and more connections between biblical teachings.

For members of the church to receive God’s Holy Spirit they should not defile themselves by heeding or worshiping other spirits. The church, ideally, should remain pure and chaste to become Christ’s bride. The reality is teachings of other spirits have entered into the physical organizations that contain the members of the Body of Christ. There are spiritual forces that seek to destroy the Body of Christ. That’s why vigilance on the part of believers is essential. Additionally men have added their own teachings to those revealed by God. This is one of the main reasons God gave us His word to guide us. Any teaching or doctrine must be proven in the scriptures. All spirits must be tried by God’s word.

What Mary went through, being imbued with the Holy Spirit before her marriage and then bringing forth the son of God is a type of the process the church is going through. The Holy Spirit is given to human beings before the marriage of the Lamb. Those so imbued are the betrothed of God. When they ‘come to term’ at Christ’s return they will be born again…born of the spirit.  It is in the church, the spiritual organism likened to the Body of Christ, that the children of God are nurtured and it is through the church, the virgin mother, that new spirit beings will be born.

God doesn’t do anything by accident.  He reveals His plan to us in several ways through His word. His Sabbath reminds us He is our Creator, the weekly rest we have in Him as our Sustainer, and reveals His ultimate destiny for mankind in the millennium, the time of His tabernacling with men. His Holy Days reveal His overall plan of working with mankind.  He reveals the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice by the various animal sacrifices in the Books of Moses. He reveals His personal plan of salvation through the design of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He reveals His plan for the spiritual birth for His children in the story of Mary and her child’s birth. These ‘layers of truth’ are one of the proofs of the Bible being Gods revealed word to mankind.

Some thoughts to consider…

*The Body of Christ is a spiritual organism. It is not completely contained in any physical organization. The scriptures indicate that some of Gods people are even in the great harlot Babylon. They are called to come out.

*Like some early followers of Christ, many modern Christians regard Mary as a higher than Christ. That has become a Catholic tradition. Some modern Christians regard their church as somehow more important than Christ…both are wrong.

*It is often overlooked that those people who survive into the millennium as physical beings will NOT be in the Kingdom of God. The scriptures are clear, flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom. It is not until they are changed into spirit bodies, born of the spirit, that they will enter the Kingdom. How that will happen is not stated in the scriptures. They may die and be resurrected in spirit bodies or perhaps they will be changed before they die. The story of Adam and Eve seems to indicate that there will no longer be pain in the birth process.

*God used both Jewish Rabbi’s and the Catholic Church as instruments in preserving His word.