Tag: Violence

“A Small Footprint” #2

Path Without End

portland-protests-2 Greed is not green!

Minimalism without contentment is just torment. 

Jesus taught the life of the small footprint. As a follower of Christ, and someone who left traditional church because of its materialistic ways, I am very confused by a lot of what I see among Progressives. I’m beginning to think it’s just talk. I’m beginning to think that as a 65 year old country boy who follows Jesus, I’m more minimalist and green than most these people constantly screaming “Go Green!”

What was that on the Mag-Mile in Chicago on Sunday night? Mass looting by a bunch of violent greedy people from 11:00 pm. till early morning? 13 Officers injured? 2 people shot? Over 100 arrested? Hundreds breaking windows and robbing stores and banks in a mass attack? What is the true “WHY” in all this?

I see a lot of violence, greed, and confusion. They call for defunding police at the same time their hand is on the phone hitting speed dial for 911 because someone is breaking in their house! Media screams not to send children back to school at the same time NYC is? I have become Alice in Wonderland! I’ve been swallowed by the Rabbit Hole!

It’s easy to say you want to be a minimalist while you still have a bunch of nice stuff. I heard a lot of people saying: “You don’t live in Chicago! Mind your own business! These people deserve to have nice stuff too!” Oh really? Wow.

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” (1st Tim. 6: 6)

The nature of “most” people is to want nice things. Personally, I think there is a lot to be said for seeking minimalism through the Spirit of God. True godliness with contentment is great gain. A fire is raging across this nation and many are not shouting about “color” as much as they are shouting they want “theirs”. But how do they want to get it? Hand outs? Special treatments? By way of hard work and wise consistent choices? Greed is not green.

I’m a watcher. I always have been. When I look at the fires raging I see a lot of discontent, contradiction, and ungodliness. No way will these people be happy even if more “special benefits” are given. They claim to just want a job and a chance. Well I got news, the jobs are out there even with Covid. I became a truck driver to earn money. It was hard work. There are lots of openings. My wife works for Cracker Barrel. They said they can’t get people to come back to work because unemployment is paying so well. My wife went back to work because that’s what honest hard working people do, even at age 62!

I see a bunch of hypocrites. Here’s a few tips. 1). Stay away from drugs. 2.) Don’t get drunk. Stay faithful and don’t sleep around! 3.) Stay honest. Don’t break laws! 4.) Educate yourself. Learn something! Become useful. 5.) Work hard. 6.) Be dependable and consistent. 7.) Prove yourself. 8.) Don’t be greedy! Seek a small footprint and be content! 9.) Seek wisdom. 10.) My own personal favorite: Love God and people! How can you say you love God and hate your brother?

I’ve watched a lot of people spend considerable money to buy a “Tiny House”. I didn’t know a small footprint had to be so expensive? But I’m waiting for the shows to come out about all the people who tried Tiny House living, and after 3 months were miserable! (And moved out.) These shows have not been allowed yet, but as a student of human nature, believe me they will come.

“Contentment”/ “Simplicity” is hard for a lot of people. They want things. It looks so good from the outside looking in, but once you’re in that tiny space and trying to find a place for the latest “thing” you’re craving? Those will be some very fun reality shows to watch.

Why is human nature so discontent? We always seem to want what we don’t have. When we finally get it, then it becomes old quickly and we want something else we don’t have. That is unless…you are a true minimalist. If you love simplicity and are truly content in small ways. How is it some of us have this and so many don’t? Who needs a mansion or fancy car with all the gadgets? What happened to the wisdom of less can be more?

Modern church has shot itself in the foot when it comes to materialism. What happened to “the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want?“ Since I left the complex and shallow modern church system to seek simple church and early church ways, my life has grown spiritually more than I ever imagined. I love our simple church and the people I fellowship with in our home, and everywhere. We call it > CHURCH EVERYWHERE.

Be still my soul. Seek peace.

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God blesses those who work for peace, for they shall be called the children of God.

“Hate Justified”/ Prophetic Poetry

Path Without End

7326378758_6998e8784a_b “HATE JUSTIFIED”

Why is your HATE justified, but not mine?

Why is your crime righteous, but not mine?

You’re not perfect and neither am I,

But He was!

So they stirred up HATE!

“They HATE me without a cause,” He still says!

Is it true?

With enough HATE I will even crucify “perfection”!

 

“I” will justify anything if “I” get what “I” WANT.

My group, your group. My tribe, your tribe. My right, your right.

First divide… Then HATE… Then chaos… 

Watch “us” burn and fall! But who’s behind it all?

Certainly not “us”!

We are the manipulated! The unthinking herd they say we are.

We prove them right!

 

HATE takes.

It does not think!

HATE takes by lies…HATE takes by force…HATE does not care.

There is no truth, logic, or reasoning…HATE takes!

It’s a fire! It’s a heat! It does not think! It does not hear!

So what chance have we? Flawed as we are!

There is none good! None but One!

And we HATED Him!

We the herd, manipulated again!

Aha! Aha! My eyes have seen it! We said we said!

Yes… so we said the day we crucified even, the Perfect One.

So what chance have “I”, in your “I”s?

 

We cannot touch “Him” now.

But we have His children, and His Words!

Aha! Aha! My eyes have seen it! We say! We say!

 But you lie…you lie.

You HATE. You HATE.

You’re the HATER, and how do you stand it?

Shed your skin again?

You’re a walking skeleton, a whited sepulcher!

 

 I have peace. Peace enough to share, if only…

I have a garden, with fruit enough to share…if only…

I am not the misled throngs,

I traded my HATE for the Song of Songs!

 

But they only love “THEIR OWN”.

Your group, my group. Your tribe, my tribe. Let us divide.

Such violence spilling over, kills its own kind!

Join us and we will HATE the others! We destroy OURSELVES together!

But in the end, the real enemy steps forth claiming all we lost.

The Garden lost again.

He smiles in delight…feeling so wise.

“How simple it was, really,” he says. “Like animals in a jungle.”

Is he from China? One can’t help but wonder. But actually, he’s from way under.

From the bowels of deep darkness below, this way of HATE he surely knows.

And the rhyme starts over…the circle spins…repeat, repeat, until the end.

And then? All the HATE will be judged by “THE ONE”.

The One who is HATED without a cause.

Yes…I am guilty of HATE speech, way back then, and so are we all!

“Crucify Him!” we said.

Can we forgive, to be forgiven?

But then, that requires “reasoning together”.

HATE is too hot for reasoning. That’s why it works!

And they know it, but do not care, and do not believe the Perfect One.

God’s Holy Word.

Lovers of darkness, more than light. Lovers of jungle, more than garden. Lovers of chaos and HATE, more than peace. Lovers of snakes, more than a bird of song.

Choose you this day, which are you? 

The Garden? Or the jungle? A gardener, or destroyer?

Gardeners bring forth life. We sing the Garden Song. 

The Song of all Songs!

Salvation If this looks like defeat to you, you will never know the Garden Song.

And you will never know why Satan has already lost.

The true Garden has been restored, never to be lost again!

Many many song birds sing in God’s Garden.

It’s a beautiful thing.

“Is this a Stupid Question?”

Path Without End

cart-before-the-horse This last weekend in Indianapolis, 7 people were shot, and 2 died. No police were involved in these events taking place in minority areas of our city. Our poorer areas of the city are slowly evolving into war zones and have been for some time. My question is…

How motivated are the police going to be to go into these places where they are so hated, and if they do anything wrong in these high pressure, split second, life threatening events, they will be crucified? I’m not talking about what we saw with the police in Minneapolis, but the real stuff that happens every day! Guns and violence erupting in a split second! How much would you be willing to risk your life and career under these current circumstances? The people who seem to need the police the most, (and we all need them), but are they not cutting their own lifeline? Or am I just stupid?

I still believe it is a matter of faith and heart. There is a Reverend Charles Harrison and the Ten Point Coalition working desperately to bring a peaceful spirit to these communities. There is evidence suggesting they have made a real difference in some areas, but where are all the good church people in those communities that could join that effort?

There is no light except the light of Christ. If minds and hearts are full of darkness, then so will be the neighborhood, even on a sunny day. Can law enforcement or counselors change that? Unless they have real light to offer, I think not. We need a massive heart transplant, and not the kind that any medical doctor can do. I think Reverend Dr. Charles Harrison has the right idea if it leads to truly changed hearts.

So… will we see higher and higher death rates, crime rates, criminal activity and family disputes in minority areas until our new answers have a chance to work? Will these people suffer even more? And what are those new answers? Street counselors armed with psycho babble and no police backup, in the streets stopping gun toting thugs and gangs? Have we identified the real problem, or simply “avoided” the real issue again? Is this a real answer? Do we reap what we sow?

The tragedy is, and I mean real tragedy, as in TRAGIC! 7 more people were shot over the weekend because of violence filling the streets, and no one can speak of the real reasons, unless those of their own neighborhoods do. It does no good for anyone else to say anything. Past efforts have proven that. We might as well stay silent, because unless we’re one of them, and I am not, evidently, we should not speak, because we know nothing.