how sane is our sanity?

While watching a program on the Soviet mass murderer Andrei Chicatilo it was mentioned in the commentary that an internationally embraced definition of insanity is centered around whether the individual knows the difference between good and evil.

In the Genesis account of the garden of Eden it is said that there were two trees in the centre of the garden. One was the tree of life and the other, positioned in the centre of the garden right next to it, was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – a tree that seemingly bore fruit that if eaten would achieve in the devourer of the fruit the apparently fatal ability to distinguish between good and evil.

The story declares that mankind desired the fruit of this forbidden tree and after having partaken of it something seemed to be opened up in their understanding that wasn’t there before. It was as if a Pandora’s box was opened and this act of rebellion facilitated the spiritual death and degradation of all creation.

In this day of superior knowledge and self proclaimed sophistication we now seem to celebrate as a virtue of sanity the same attributes and ability that the account of the garden of Eden presented as death inducing.

Perhaps we need to ask the question, “how sane is our sanity?”

just how many times can one die?

could it be that the biggest deception we have been caught up in is the focus on a single point of conversion?

 

we faithfully remember the exact day, time, and event when we first believed… and we carry this as a banner of our dignity and rite of passage into eternal security and present and future salvation

 

but strangely there is no account of Jesus ever taking any individual behind the Wailing Wall, handing him a “4 Spiritual Laws” booklet and telling him to, “repeat after me….”

yes, Jesus spoke of being ‘born again’ but that was once in a specific confrontation with a religious ruler named Nicodemus… and in the epistles Paul writes conceptually of being ‘born again’ to a living hope…

 

but both Jesus Christ and Paul the apostle spoke of dying daily, not only once… and communion (proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus) is not done only once as a lasting and final eternal event, but as something extremely important to be done as often as we eat together…

 

… and this “dying daily” idea was spoken of by both in graphic detail

 

the metaphor of life and death points to a seed which is planted inside soil and grows…. like a natural seed the seed of the spirit may indeed seem to have a measurable chronological beginning but that seed like the natural seed faces life and death every second of its life from that point on

from the very beginning it is involved in a perpetual struggle for life and this struggle is what brings the strength of character and establishes the longevity and fruitfulness of the life

 

just the same as a seed that dies, falls to the ground and germinates does not immediately become or remain a fully formed mature life form could the same be said of the spiritual seed?

 

perhaps the biggest problem could be that one single eternal and immutable event can so easily result in an ushering in a of a rite of privilege… and there are no “rites” and privileges other than loving, serving and dying to ones self… at least this is what Jesus and Paul seem to be suggesting to my mind

and if this attitude of rite, rights and privilege is established could this be a root contribution to the apparent shallowness of true spirituality in our lives?

 

so many Christians (and followers of other belief systems for that matter) claim to believe yet so few seem to read let alone study the scriptural texts and even fewer seem to understand it

 

and it seems very apparent that most feel fully content to be told from a pulpit what to and what not to do

 

… and maybe the spiritual leaders really like it this way?

 

personal rite and privilege conveniently instills an attitude of superiority and elitism and tends to leave one feeling totally qualified, guaranteed recipients of absolute benefits with no responsibility nor personal application required

 

… perhaps much like the Apartheid system injected into the “White” minority in recent South African history and that which is being injected into the “Black” majority in the present

 

what could it mean to “die daily?”

 

in our modern world of instant gratification and self actualization, individual rights, demands and democratic freedom how would this all work itself out?

 

and with all the feel good sentiment abounding from our TV’s and pulpits (religious and political) does this not seem like a huge negative, … a heavy bring-down?

 

or maybe these passages need to be erased from our scriptures…?

 

…. or maybe these emo-depressive meme-spinner Jesus and Paul characters need to be fully exposed and defrocked for the negative killjoys they clearly are?

 

…. or could it be that by thinking and believing we died once and that is enough we now are really well and truly dead?

 

 

 

 

bend over and take your medicine

There’s a news24 article today titled “What to do after you get raped” …

http://www.women24.com/Wellness/BodyAndSpirit/What-to-do-after-you-get-raped-20121126

NOTE: it’s not “What to do IF you get raped” … this seems to be a foregone conclusion

what a shocking reality that this is deemed clearly necessary…
but, as serious and disconcerting as it is I believe it is equally applicable as a relevant metaphor for the present time…

… I’m very sure this applies to the general populace under the present Sodomic political regime – and not exclusively to women suffering at the hands of vicious and unscrupulous sexual predators… God help us!

the race is not to the swift

There has been an unusually high rainfall in our area of late.

The other day I drove past a massive tree perhaps more than 12 – 14 meters high that had simply fallen over across the road and workers had hacked away at it in order to move it out of the way of the oncoming traffic.

It was a strange sight to see.  The tree still looked very healthy and the leaves were lush and full.  The cross section of the cuts revealed a perfect trunk with no blemishes visible anywhere.  It was wonderfully healthy … except that it was fallen and now dead.

What had caused the tree to fall and die was neither weakness nor old age but in fact, health, vitality, success and significant stature.

This once majestic tree now lay with the bulk of its glorious trunk cut up in smaller ugly chunks, thrown together into heaps waiting to be unceremoniously hauled away probably for firewood or maybe even just to be dumped on some smelly refuse heap.

What had happened was that the rain was so unusually heavy that the ground had become totally saturated and could no longer support the weight of the huge tree with its strong root system that had held it secure and upright for decades.

In the heavy rains it had simply lost grip and it toppled over with luminously healthy grass still lush and abundant clinging to the base where the tree had once broken through the soil.

Water is a life giver and a life sustainer but under these conditions it was the agent of death to a seasoned and majestic life form.

The tree had done everything right.  It was a triumphant survivor, a perfect specimen of life and abundant health.  But now it seemed that it was exactly this great prosperity and the weight of this undisputed glory that had caused it to fall.

I couldn’t help thinking that if it were not so large and healthy it might have still be standing today.

 

The race is not to the swift, nor does the battle always go to the strong.

Bread doesn’t always go to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding.

Favour does not always come to men of skill, but circumstance, time and chance happens to all.

 

teach me to play

the young man rushed up to the maestro…

“teach me to be an excellent musician great master… so that I may learn to play skillfully and bring healing, peace and perspective to all peoples”

“such zeal, …but why would you want to aim so low young man?” … the maestro replied…

“if you want to excel in playing music, by all means study music diligently…”

“but rather be a student of life…”

… “for then you can play wherever and with whatever your heart desires…

… and healing, peace and perspective will be yours abundantly for the distribution”

the art of the worm … the worm in the art

these jockeys of the radio waves

saddlers of the telling box

of prepared visions

 

these superficial elite

the voice of the day you know

pimps of mammon

kinks of the castle

 

they need not art

nor integrity

nor can they stomach either

they need only to open wide the sluice gates

that the gold may pour

into the hands of their masters

and whore keepers…

 

they speak no art

nor integrity

only what the masses wantonly scream for

to satisfy their insatiable lust for things to consume

 

and we raise our drunken cups

these opaque vessels

and belch a toast

to those with nothing to say

but with many, many words

 

words

so empty

so deafening…

so utterly filled with noise

 

whilst under the table

their Lords and masters

wring their hands with glee

 

for the pickings are bountiful

because the slaves think not

 

and are willingly led to believe

that they are free

 

________

i can’t help thinking

I can’t help thinking if this could be a metaphor for the present day church?

.

.

.

…and then, as a result … I was challenged.

” .. then do something about it “

and I replied,

“I am, … you saw the cartoon, you read it, you’re thinking about it right now… that is wonderful.
I can’t change one person’s mind about anything… but I can attempt in some small way to get them to think… that’s what I do, it’s what I’m doing right now… it’s what I always try to do and that’s all I believe can be done… and maybe your reading and thinking about it right now, even if you disagree with me, even hate me (and I’m sure you don’t ‘hate’ me), will cause you to think about your own thinking and decide for yourself, not for me, or my way of thinking. … and maybe that thinking will result in action, your action, action that you chose, for yourself, by real faith…”

should there be no alarm?

should there be no shout?

should there be no alarm?

has darkness become light

and light become harm?

 

when the bearers of the light

see nothing

and the messengers have forgotten

even the very message they send

when darkness is the light within

and without there is dark indeed

 

and in the market place

they call for a song

and the minstrels sing

what their ears want to hear

the market place of the gathering

of those who call themselves holy

and leaders of the blind

 

who themselves see no evil afoot

who see no need to stamp it out

who see no cause for alarm

who see no need to raise the shout

 

but they remain not silent

there is indeed a cry

 

in the sanctuary

the cry of a baby

demanding milk

crying for comfort

 

and the cry for comfort

is not for those in anguish

or for those lost

nor for those in need

or for the desperate and the dispossessed

nor for those with nothing

but the cry is from those who are in abundance

who possess all things

and who need no thing

except comfort itself

and who comfort themselves

in need alone

 

the market speaks

and the prophets listen

those called to give

consume

and the name inscribed on their forehead reads

“consumer”

and on their hands it is written

“more”

 

… and of their leader whose feet were dusty

and whose head owned no pillow

who had no place to rest his weary body

and no blanket but the stars

 

of this leader we still hear much

but not all

not even most

not even half

 

and the words we hear

are many words

not hallowed words

but hollowed words

words filled with emptiness

overrunning with empty promises

pretty words

hollow words

vain sonnets

odes to the consumer

love songs to the love sick

for those sick in love

in love with sick

odes to themselves

by the people

of the people

for the people

 

and the market cries out

and the prophets fear

and they fill the air with empty words

that itching ears love to hear

 

sick words

sick love

love sick

 

and this word is exalted

even above the name of the Lord God himself

 

 

it’s not whether we believe in the easter bunny or not, it’s whether the easter bunny believes in us

We are strongly encouraged not to allow anyone to judge or even put pressure on us regarding issues and choices such as food or drink, nor regarding any festivals, seasons, holidays, new moons or even the observance of religious rituals or even holy sabbaths.

All of these things are merely a temporary type, a incomplete and suggestive pointer, a mere shadow of things to come.

The fundamental reality, the underlying foundational substance of all these things is not in us nor in the systems and processes we create for ourselves to establish anything.  It is all beyond us.  It is all wrapped up and sealed in Christ.

No amount of huffing and puffing on our part, however sincere, will suffice.

It’s not even whether we believe in the easter bunny or not.

It’s whether the easter bunny believes in us.

democracy – a synopsis