Matthew 11:29

Expose the dishonest

Listen to the self-deceived

Confront the rebel

Support the surrendered

Bring low the pride of the haughty

Offer forgiveness for the guilt-crushed

Abolish the schemes of nations

Provide hope for the despairing 
Humble the exalted

Exalt the humble

Ransom the prisoners

Comfort the discouraged

Impoverish those rich by corruption

Enrich the poor in spirit

Turn back those who wander

Destroy and make alive

Die for the sake of others

Practice resurrection
Like Jesus

John 3:20

Light investing the saint

crowns the virtues with dispassion

fulfills the desires beyond expectation

chases away all distracting passions

banishes the powers of darkness

opens up the depths of oracles 

makes the saint himself scripture

giving boldness before God

receiving the robe that Human Life lost

interceding on behalf of others

consuming the stains of sin

radiating the presence of the age to come

shimmering the brilliance of its pledge of immortality

Light invests the saint

My Lady

At nights and at the dawn of day, I bow before the great radiance of the light of your loveliness
Light unfailing you allowed to dawn upon me, letting me tell everyone of your wonders with fitting loyalty, each one in their proper season
In the name of the father who made you a jewel of his heart, and of the son who veiled himself with your flesh, and of the spirit whose hovering over you brought sweet and glorious new creation, I sing to you
Sacrifice I offer you, my lady, even the fullness of praise that my heart can conceive, and my mind able to perform
O lady, my garden that brings forth aromatic herbs and pleasant aromas, my summer and spring, you are my portico of prayer, my festoon of heavenliness
Night and day I beseech you, my lady, that I may enter your sanctuary, where I am protected from the whispering of those who malign and slander, and find rest from the tongue of the proud who find fault in me

Not Yet

How does the infinite distance itself and yet draw us so intimately near?

How do you make peace and yet appoint calamity?

How do you both enrage the depths and yet level the waves of the sea?

How are you everywhere and yet not in this or that?

How are you omnipotent over all and yet happily delegating authority to mankind over all?

How do you provide patient endurance for your slaves without crushing them, and yet allow freemen to be crushed by the weight of their own glory?

How do you prevent mortals from perishing and yet prevent immortals from redemption?

How do you become one with a human being?

How do you drag darkness into your light?

How do you illumine my soul and yet not others around me?

How do you fan the flames of love within me and yet wound my thigh through wrestling?

How are you enduring patiently with me always and yet responding with perfect severity at times?

How are you omniscient and yet tolerant of my shenanigans?

How do you enforce your law upon your firstborn and yet relax your sanctions when my age and prodigality increase?

How do you listen to the prayers of the whole world and yet stop your ears to hearing my wickedness?

How does the infinite unite with this terra firma and yet not drag all of heaven down with it?

The New Mythicists

We deplore myths because they're not scientific, not logical, not atomic enough

We neglect the ultimate source of truth and embrace novelty and exploration with enthusiasm

We encourage youth to be more open, more honest, more vulnerable, more creative

We think that if there is an opinion to be had, there is an entitlement to express it

We unwittingly welcome more manipulation

There is no more slowness of speech

No more haste to listen only

Just wrath, just wrath, just wrath

Like and share the exhibitionism

Click the agree button and subscribe to future programming

We think and act and play God impulsively

We can see that air bubbles in ice crystals hold the key to understanding our past 100,000 years ago

We hear that search engine behemoths, space traveling virtuosos, and Antarctic treaties hold the key to understanding our future 100,000 years from now

We are told that Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel, as well as Joel, Jude, and John all hold the key to understanding our present wars and rumors of wars

We imbibe and indulge anew, day after day, that which we deplore because of the sugary facts we are fed

Metamorphosis

What would man be like without it?

How could man know what to do?

By shelving it, there would be war

No voice could be heard

No individual could lay hands on themselves

No hope in this life or the next

Every thing changes without it

Every man must at least have God in paperback

Every accent and root must produce a fresh sermon

Every year a new and better denomination must evolve

Does she still have to walk the yellow brick road?

What if the beginning or end is never revealed? 

Does she still get to compose new chapters with her silver slippers?

What if the chromium rich land and gem-shelled sky has already come?

What if the one book just witnessed to its coming magic?

What if that magic already flows to all four corners of the land? 

Does she get to drink of it or not, to swim with or against its current?

What if all we ever see is the end of the beginning?

Does she still co-author each season of life?

Every year a branch could be grafted in

Every day another wound would begin to heal

Every man could then safely draw near to their cocoon

Every thing in the cosmos would change with new wings

No one could cast a spell or a curse on anyone but themselves

No concordance or confession could define it perfectly

No voice could be muted

By putting down all weapons, there would be peace

Does she want peace or a sword?

Must we drop the magic book to taste and see Goodness?

5/09/18

Dark Side of the Moon

Who really knows science so called?
Scientia potentia est is the theoretical dictum
Spinning faster than the speed of sound
Spiraling through an infinite vacuum
Perusing across this terra firma
All is fine as long as one giant leap is made on behalf of mankind 

Satellites everywhere now fill our eyes with wonder and glory
The ideocracy of globulizing and scientizing reality captivates us
The opposite of joy is unearthed once we begin to question authority

Friendships become feuds with comments like daggers
Marriages liquidize like coconut oil in hot summer pantries
Dresden like bombings of cynicism anesthetize our minds 

Just as water within its container always finds its own level
So the atomization of everything razes the science of being
Who cares if material presupposes existence?
The electromagnetism and sacramentality of it all still remains
After the mushroom cloud dissipates and the trending tweets die down
Indwelling the personal is what we really need to know and be known 

Existence is what science needs for every one to be known at all

Like the two things every monk is taught to avoid at all costs
Sacramentality and its authority are what scientism must deflect our attention away from

The plane truth underlies it all while the dreams of man dominate one small step at a time

Potentia est scientia is the official praxis
Who really sciences knowledge so called? 

Let Us Be Attentive

Slow down your thoughts, hazed and needy to escape.
Slow down your anxieties, apprehended by the motives of others.
Slow down your ambitions, carrying you off to a place of honor and glory.
Slow down your busyness, distracting you from prayer every hour.
Slow down your feet, swift to walk toward convenience.
Slow down your hands, pointing and prodding in other directions.
Slow down your eyes, zoomed in to what's wrong with the world.
Slow down your ears, tuned into scandal and hearsay.
Slow down your mouth, regurgitating popular dogma.
Slow down bothering with who's wrong and who's right.
Slow down and concern yourself only with what is true or false.
Slow down everything.
Then ask, 'Why is anyone morally obligated to believe or do what is true?'

The Proclamation of Mortal Man

I am weary, O God.1
I am weary, O God, but I can persevere.
Indeed, I am too dull of a man to discern.
For I have reached my limit and I don't even have the understanding of Adam.
I have not yet learned wisdom, but I know it can be attained.

Who on earth has gone up to you to bring wisdom down to us?
Who has walked the recesses of the deep?
Who has comprehended every detail of land?
Who has entered the storehouses of snow and hail?
What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely You know!

Our lives are filled with various trials and dangers.
And so You say, "Take refuge in Me."
Even if we don't consider every word of Yours to be true.
Even if You rebuke us when we add words to the invitation.
Every word proves true.
Our lies are found out.

Oh God, please consider helping me by granting two things before I die. 
I need deliverance from my most basic temptations--those of falsehood and lying. 
If I only had daily bread, the bread sufficient for each day.
I wouldn't be tempted to suppress You or transgress Your law in times of poverty or wealth.

I wouldn't be tempted to slander your servants to their employers. 
I have done that before, and ultimately to my shame.
Every generation seems to act shamefully as I have.
There is cursing of fathers and mothers.
There is hypocrisy in how they view others while not seeing their own filth.
There is great audacity and condemnation in their eyes.
There is a relentless disregard for even the poorest of souls.
As long as that is what it takes to remain wise in their own eyes,
They're like the blood sucking leech and their spawn, crying out, "Give! Give!"

I ponder this vast domain of Yours, and the way they strive for satisfaction without You.
They're insatiable, like the grave or the womb which can't even produce life.
They're like parched land or an entire valley on fire.
Their eyes lead them into shameful desolation.
They could look for the wisdom from above, but they won't.
This mortal existence, and all its wisdom down here, is the only viewing they take pleasure in.

Many more things astonish me, and I don't understand how they can continue living as they do.
They rationalize their adulteries away, as though they have done no wrong.
They feast on violence and then wipe the blood off their lips, leaving no trail behind.
Like an eagle in the sky, or a snake slithering across a rock.
Like a ship in the heart of the ocean, or the way of a successful man with an impressionable woman.

The whole land trembles over such disordered desires.
The weight of it all cannot be sustained forever.
Consider the slave who finally becomes Emperor.
Or the senseless fool, filled with food at the celebration of his coronation. 
Or the servant-girl who, somehow, some way, displaces her Queen.
Or the lady whom we all thought would never get married because of how insufferable she often is.
Do you think she will magically change overnight in her wisdom once she receives a husband?

Even many frail animals serve as lessons of wisdom for us mortals.
The ants prepare for bad times during good times.
The rock badgers provide security for each other.
The locusts cooperate together. 
The geckos are defenseless, but they live in well-fortified palaces.

There is also a proper grandeur which God has given to His creation.
The lion, mightiest of beasts, retreats before nothing.
The rooster walks bravely among female hens.
The hunting-dog is another, as well as the king whose army is with him.
As long as mortals remain wise in their own eyes, foolishly exalting themselves above others,
Instead of being exalted by others,
We can only hope that they cover their mouths while talking.
Raging against others will only provoke further strife, of which we have plenty already.

Rules and prescriptions alone are not able to fix the brokenness all around us.2 
Libraries of law won't suffice for the healing of generations either.
Only the wisdom from above can come down and save us.
The wisdom from below is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
If any of us lacks wisdom from above, ask God for it.
He gives generously to all those who do so, and without rebuke or disapproval.
But be sure to ask in loyal trust of the One you're asking,
With no doubting about what you receive as being from the Lord.
If you remain double-minded in your loyalty, don't presume that you'll receive anything from Him.
Let the lowly brother boast in being exalted by Him.
And the rich brother boast in being humbled by Him.
Because like a flower of the field, each will pass away.










1. The inspiration for this comes directly from my reflections upon the Book of Proverbs, chapter 30, and the Book of Wisdom, chapter 2.
2. The inspiration for this comes from the book of James.

Friendship Friendship

Drop in your dollar fifty
The game is the same every day
The scorpion plays with smoke
The reptile with rain
One of them must lose
None must show friendship
As long as you're invested
There is no option of stalemate
Many just enjoy ripping spines out
But the wisdom from below doesn't always satisfy
Some need alternatives to fatality
There must be a way to tap into that above
Some combination of buttons and joystick
Some magazine wrapped in plastic
Some compact disc taped to the last page
What has the Programmer left us to discover?
Such is the riddling in search of friendship
Be not wise in your own eyes, is the clue

Talking Past

What can be said to the sycophant?
He welcomes you into his abode for a friendly discussion
Offers kindness and sincerity
Chatters about all the good done in their name

What can be said to the facile?
He shows concern for the neighbor's pet
Cares about the widow and orphan too
Hates the God who kills and makes alive

What can be said to the pedant?
He ascends to the right hand of his father only to mock his face
Slays the younger brother just because he can
Justifies infanticide on his own terms, while mocking the God who passes over the innocent

What can be said to the Atheist?
He reasons like a fundamentalist
Wages war with imaginary gods
He eats and wipes his mouth and says, 'I have done no wrong.'

What can be said to the Christian?
He made this mess, but wants others to clean it up
Prescribes drugs to all patients, not even knowing each person or side effect
Immunizes every infant in their care to prevent disease from spreading

Lucy

Of course I believe it's true
Why? 
Don't you?

Of course not
Only an idiot could believe that
Frogs don't become princes you know
Never in a million years could all that be possible
Archeologists all agree
Every biology textbook is clear
Just ask your friendly neighborhood geologist
They'll tell you
Frogs don't become princes
Never in a million years

But what about The Book?

What about it?

It's His. And He says it's true.

No, it doesn't say that. And it's not "His".

Yes. It is.

No, it is most certainly not "His"
You've been brainwashed to think that
Religious people invented the "Book"
They chose it to suit their imaginary theodicy
They just wanted to overpower the weak and vulnerable
It's all a power struggle, that's all
That Book is just like every other book on earth: humanly crafted
You can't magically turn a human book into a Divine One
No matter what you call it
Frogs don't become princes
Not even in a billion years

But what about all the devout worshipers across the globe?
And all the miracles from above?
And all the apparitions? 
And all the answered prayers?
Do you think they all believe in fairy tales?

Unfortunately, yes
But cheer up
Not everything is gloomy just because that One turned out to be a joke
We humans still get to craft our own destiny
For a long time there has been hope dawning at the end of another tunnel
The tides have turned considerably since those ancient myths of His became facts
The four rivers flow westward now, to where our seeds were planted and nurtured a century ago
All the trimming and grooming over here is finished
Faithful groundskeeping is all that's needed now
The trees are fully grown and bearing fruit each year
Pleasant to the sight of all, and good for food
Some now even say that its fruit is able to make one wise
The Mythicists even crafted a clever little ditty in that regard:

'Rejoice all ye lands and do not look grim

With oodles of time on our side

And laws of Nature to guide

Myriads of self-purposed mutations later

And with only One common ancestor

Frogs actually did become princes and without any need for Him'

Despite tiny inconsistencies here and there
We no longer feel the need to challenge those who guard and keep our garden
Such ditties are kind of charming, actually
And it rhymes



11/26/17

Drugs of Choice

Why should You be worshiped?
You see them boxed in, lonely and terrified, tormented and gasping, yet You do nothing about it
The rape behind the curtain
The brain swelling in the infant
The Omnipresent One prefers to dine while watching the film It made
We foolishly accept Your distractions to placate the wrath of your disciples
Butter, brewer's yeast, and sea salt are the drugs of choice

The Omnipotent One just stares into the cold, dark night
You--the Holy One--You can command legions to come to your own aid at any moment
Yet not to theirs?
If I should worship You, then make me believe
I'll give You forty minutes to respond favorably
Yes, I would like some salt
No, I brought my own sweets, and I don't particularly care if I'm not supposed to tell You that

Forty-one minutes later...

What kind of a pathetic Deity would pass up such a sublime opportunity?
Even if You did exist, I wouldn't prostrate myself before You
Where were You when I needed You most, anyway?
It's like this every day--the same torturous imaginary bullshit every day
You're the one who invented torture, aren't You?
You do all of this just because You can
Or, maybe, it's because You can't

Is that it?
You think You're the greatest, but You're really just a poser, like the Devil
Or maybe You are the Devil
Can You even hear me?
I said that's what You are--the Devil
I am the real God of me
And to prove it, I'm going to live my life without You

I will spend my life promoting Science
The true source of our knowledge--at least, what we can know, anyway
And I will make peace with Your ridiculous devotees by calling myself an Agnostic
I will study the book You dropped out of heaven, and Your disciples will learn how hopelessly inept they are as long as they cling to You while listening to Me
Instead of being brainwashed by Your "good" and Your evil, they will learn to focus upon the truth
Their only moral obligation will be to follow that truth wherever it leads
If it leads some sick poodles back to You, we will show mercy, as long as they are merciful
But with the froward we will show ourselves froward

That is the best scientific means to keep the peace
In due time--hopefully not another billion years--the good news will be settled
And Our kingdom established
The most important task at hand now is to quell Your soldiers and set Your captives free
Free to do whatever they want within the limits of Our gospel
Free to be like You
For Science knows of no boundaries other than the ones Our peers review






11/24/17

Between Two Worlds

In the beginning was no end

Days, hours, minutes are there, so we are told

But there is no end

Like a crushed record

Shattered into pieces

We found her by his side from the very beginning, with no end in sight

Five pillars supported her stars

Ten words made us, but they weren’t good enough

Seventy bullocks and seven generations later we started getting it right

At least we thought we did

Pour the chalice over and onto us if you must

Let the dust soak it all in to form your new mud puppet to play with

We’ve all been waiting for this day

Raise the war-bow to remember no more so that Hosea’s children will be justified

Do not spare us just this once

Let the waters above crack open and shed down hailstones

Light our vigil candles below 

Prepare new globes of fire within the firmament

If we must have our cadavers back, then just say a word and our soul shall be healed

Form our glass with your lightning and scatter the ten thunderings across the sea shore one last time

Leave broken what is broken, shells and all

Ditch the glue and fill the week with one more evening—just one—and we will become wise

11/24/17

Knowing God

We all pretend to know but we really don’t

We certainly can know but we won’t

Our careers depend upon imagineering 

Our friendships demand it

Our identity is it

So let’s think for ourselves as we watch them lounge to the Netflix of dogma and genuflect to the magisterial bestsellers that kindle fire

We know it’s not true that we don’t know anything, otherwise why tweet?

Admittedly we don’t know everything, but that’s what democracy is for

She knows there is a difference between knowing and pretending, but she doesn’t know the principle is the same

We are told that in dying we shall die if we count equality with God a thing to be grasped

Isn’t this contrary to everything we know?

Where was God in the tsunami?

God is perfectly good, she says

He is omnipotently, omnisciently, omnipresently good

Even if God is good, isn’t it obvious that the way she portrays him isn’t?

We know the winds do not actually obey his words, otherwise God would be the author of tsunamis

We know that God must return in the flesh again to make the wind obey his word, making all things good again

His feet must touch the mount before he can be our judge, our lawgiver, and our king

Only then will every one of us know, and bow to his omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotence 

She knows this world is not yet as it is in heaven

We certainly know what heaven is not like

It’s not like earth where we are like gods

We don’t even need test scores to know that she pretends

Total depravity only makes matters worse

They say that if any man—save Jesus—or any woman—especially Mary—could live sinlessly, even by God’s grace, they know they could qualify as the Messiah and steal the glory due to His omnipotent name alone

Don't they know God is dead?

We know this is heresy

She knows it too, and they still believe that empire of truth in which every Adam lives

We, however, are under grace, not law

Sometimes she even pretends to be pretending, so that even when we know that she doesn't know a thing, she doesn’t want others to know that we know that she doesn’t actually know

For if she didn’t at least know with boldness and confidence, how could she help all those around us with so much uncertainty?

She must pluck the firebrands out of the fire, and then they too will know

It is heresy for her to be wrong

When she repents—if ever that happens—that will be a sure sign of her total depravity

‘She always was the harlot,’ will be our refrain

They know that the only incarnate thing in life—at least the one that is without stain—is the good book, as long as the Apocrypha is not considered

Even the Creed knows this much; ’We Believe’ is our standard for perfect unity

Just don’t tell that to the Council of Chalcedon, or the iconoclasts, or Monothelites

Rethink one jot or tittle of the law or the prophets, and no more Jesus for you; no more bread and wine from her

She knows that one cannot be known if one doesn’t confess that Jesus is an impotent monarch, enthroned in the heavens, awaiting that final trumpet blast

That’s when he, too, will know it is time to finally come in glory to judge the living and the dead

Hell is for those who don’t know what she knows, and she knows that not even Jesus still knows the day or the hour

Don’t pretend you don’t know about the parenthesis of His plan

Don’t pretend that the signs aren't everywhere

Don’t pretend that we won’t get this flesh back 

We know that is gnosticism, so away with the Atheists

Away with those who pretend to know that the end was really the beginning

Away with those who say, along with Hymenaeus and Philetus, that the resurrection is past

Away with those who reduce history to a guess

9/20/17