Happy Birthday Snowflake

Happy Birthday to a wonderful person as unique as a snowflake; born to wonderful parents and created by the Lord for good purpose.

Evocative Hope

Kindred,

Hope, infinite hope, is something that must never be lost *.

Life can pummel you with endless disappointments, you can reach the depths of hell and heartbreak, pain upon suffering, suffering upon pain, swallowed you up in despair and misery, but you must never lose hope.

How? How to not lose it when in the mist of great disappointments and hell?

When I looked up the definition of hope, I was surprised to find it described as merely a desire, a desire for fulfillment or success.  It is listed as a wish, a want, but not as a need.

When something is a want and not a need, it implies that you can do without. 

Can you do without hope?

Is it a must to be fulfilled or successful? 

What does it mean (to be fulfilled or successful)?  

Having material possessions?  The image of a perfect family?  High powered job?  2.5 kids? 

Or having justice, fairness, kindness, love, equality, freedom…?

Of course, in life, you get to decide. 

You have a choice to choose what hope means to you; and when that hope is meaningful and substantive, it becomes a necessary bridge between endurance and inspiration that allows you to hang on to dear life.

Evocative hope gives you time to learn, to achieve something meaningful or to experience something wonderful in the moments in-between. 

For this gift of extra, I hope you never lose it, infinite evocative hope.

* “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Doubt

Kindred,

Do you ever have doubts of the existence of the Lord?

If God exists, then why do so many bad things happen?

If God is all powerful, then why does God not stop tragedies?

Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, especially since Christ only ever referred to himself as the Son of man?

It is OK to have these doubts.  

It is healthy to question.

 

You should never be so insecure in your faith that you fear these questions.

 

To say that you believe blindly is not enough, because it becomes a parroting, an exercise and argument of the mind in theological theory, and not an application of true faith where you truly believe in your heart.

 

You will never grow in faith or have true faith if you do not question, learn and answer. 

Birthright of Love

Kindred,

We are conceived in the Love and Grace of the Lord.  Born upon the playground of its Majesty. 

How steadfast we hold to our birthright of Love is of our own choosing. 

Kindness, integrity, honor, respect, regard, are not foreign or even lofty concepts of character, but innate values to each person in life. 

How then are these good character traits so intrinsic to our original and good nature forgotten, corrupted or confused in the course of human endeavors?  

Life, by its very nature, is temporal.  Tragedy, comedy, suffering, hope, all part its visage. 

How we deal with these instances in the course of living all the moments in our lives will forge our destiny and countenance. 

When we introduce fear and hate to deal with our insecurities, we invite the missteps, the bad choices, the bad practices and sins.

When this happens, our birthright of Love becomes endangered. 

We must take every precaution and make every defense to fight against that which would threaten our Love and our humanity. 

Let us then dedicate ourselves to preserving and forging a legacy of Love for our children and future generations by fighting injustice, hatred and sin.

To Be or Not to Be

Kindred,

What would you allow unjustly happen to a person?

That is the question.

"To be, or not to be,  that is the question..." *

Life, death, life, death, the circle of life plus all the moments in between.


Thus,  posed to you upon the fate of destiny,  the choice

"To be,  or not to be",

How to be.

Answer what you would unjustly allow to happen to a person.

And then answer what you would allow to unjustly happen to happen if that person just happened to be you.


"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. "          - Martin Luther King Jr.




*Quote by William Shakespeare

Be Free

Kindred,

A lie,  by nature,  since it is false,  is made- up,  is not alive; it is not real.

It only appears to have life when it fools,  but since it is an illusion, the truth eventually will, as they say, will out.

A lie has a limited shelf- life.

It will fool some,  but never all.

Most importantly,  it cannot fool the Lord.

Do not be enslaved to lies and sins.

Let the Truth set you free.

Intelligence Plus Character

Kindred,

How would you define intelligence?

And how important is intelligence to you?

What happens when you do not have any intelligence or worse yet, negative intelligence?

Would it be catastrophic?  Would it be innovative?

You would not know would you without intelligence.

Now, if you had intelligence, how would you apply it?

How you would apply intelligence depend largely upon your character.

“Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”  - Martin Luther King Jr.

Speak to the Lord

Kindred,

You should tell your friend to look in the mirror before he makes his prejudiced pronouncements of hate under the guise of God.

He hides behind his collar of fake righteousness as he uses scripture as a weapon to manipulate, conquer and divide.

He states that all you have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, as if that is all you must do in life; and twist it into excuses to misbehave and sin.

Nothing gives him to right to engage in harassment, inappropriate behaviors, sins and crimes.

You should also tell your friend to take it up with the Lord when he has issues with the color of a person’s skin, because it is the Lord that created us.

Why not look deep inside yourself and speak to the Lord first before doing anything?

I Have A Dream - Quotes

Kindred,

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.

A lie cannot live.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But…the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

                                                               Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 😊

The Healing of the Lord

Kindred,

I do not know if you ever felt anguish.  The heart wrenching, soul gutting kind where the screams of pain cut so deep that it reverberates on and on. 

What I am describing is trauma.  Trauma to the heart and soul that lives in mind as nightmares, waking nightmares, horrors and terrors. 

Do you know what it is like to call out for help and no one answers? 

To be blamed for abuses and circumstances beyond your control? 

Do you know what it is like to have these patterns of abuse repeat itself over and over heaped upon 

you, endlessly inflecting trauma and pain? 

When no one answers, the Lord does in the voice deep inside to pick yourself up, to keep going, face the pain and stand. 

Do not blame the Lord for the crimes of men or women.  

The sinner or perpetrator must one day answer for his or her sins and crimes. 

The Lord answers in multitude of ways that heals the anguish and pain.  You only have to listen and receive the Gifts of healing. 

Listen and do what must be done. 

Good Standing

Kindred,

What is the foundation of law? 

I googled the definition of law and nowhere does ethics come up in its definition, or protection of civil liberties or ensuring public safety.  It basically states that law is a system of rules that members may enforce with penalties. 

Disconcerting.

Also, of concern in this definition of law is the word may.  Members may choose to enforce or not enforce the law.  And nowhere does it state that the initial law created must be fair and just. 

Luckily, the Founding Fathers recognized the dangers of making laws without rules and checks and balances.  

While the Framers held “these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights”, * they recognized that abuse of power and inequalities can arise in “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

Therefore, they set forth these unalienable Rights in the Constitution and encased it in the rule of law and a system of checks and balances by making the Constitution the supreme law of the Land. 

Because the Constitution begins with “We the people….”, the Constitution applies to all people in the Land whether explicitly defined or not, and the rights defined cannot be denied to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. 

The rule of law basically states that no one or institution is above the law (accountability), the laws are to be just (applied evenly and protects fundamental rights), publicly promulgated (open government), and independently adjudicated. 

But what happens when there is no rule of law or no enforcement of the laws? 

Then laws become meaningless; there is no equal protection of the laws, no governance, no legal standing and therefore, no legitimate government and no standing with the people and with humanity.

This same precept goes for morality and ethics.  

If people sin, commit crimes against the Lord and humanity, and are unrepentant and unatoned, then these sinners are unethical and unholy; and therefore, have no moral authority or standing with humanity and the Lord. 

To be in good standing with the Lord and humanity, do not sin.  If you do sin, confess, repent and atone.  

*Note:  From Declaration of Independence (which is a separate document from the Constitution).

The Lord's Creations

Kindred,

The Lord created and decided our form.  

We are called to love one another in fellowship and treat each other as a good neighbor.

 

At death, we cannot take our skin or skin color with us; we cannot take our sex or gender; we cannot take our material treasures; therefore, do not let these superficial differences divide us.

Let it go.

Let go of any hate and biases that divide us. 

Until we respect and regard one another as children of the Lord, we will never see or understand the Lord’s creations; we will never see God. 

No Defense or Offense

Kindred,

I heard through the grapevine that your best friend likes football.  It is a fun game. 

What type of strategy do you like best, defensive or offensive strategy? 

Some people feel strongly that having the best offense and developing a team around it, is the way to having a winning team.  Others feel it is defense that wins games. 

Whichever way you feel, I think it strange that some people do not think it necessary to defend against sin or even fight against sin. 

There is this myth going around that everyone is a sinner; therefore, people should accept sin as part of who they are.  When people accept this fallacy, automatically they are complicit to sin and do not defend against sin, let alone fight it. 

Even more disturbing, these people are accepting of sinful behavior in themselves and others; and when crimes are committed (often in the name of God), they turn away, often failing to be Good Samaritans as Jesus Christ states as necessary to be good (neighbors). 

When people conspire in and are complicit in sinful behaviors, who are they serving? 

By serving Satan in sin, these Unholies will end up hating the good and delighting in evil. 

What good will it be to win the game, if in life, you end up losing your soul by having no defense or offense against sin?

Love of the Lord

Kindred,

The Lord will not forsake you for any reason.  The Lord does not forsake.  The Lord loves you and always wants the best for you.

It is people that forsake the Lord when they choose to sin.

Love of the Lord is eternal, but this does not mean you can do whatever you want or commit sin, then blame the Lord when things go wrong and wonder why God has forsaken you (because you feel separated and isolated from the Lord because of sin) and there are negative consequences due to the sin. 

When bad things happen that are not acts of God, it is usually because people made the mistakes and chose (free will) to do bad, commit the crimes and sins. 

When sins of selfish desires and harm are committed, depending upon the severity, transgressions of varying levels occur against the Lord and the victim, and also within the soul and character of the perpetrator. 

When you die, you are judged by your character in the face of transgressions, challenges, and deeds, because the only thing you can take with you is your soul (as determined by your character in life). 

If you carry within yourself unrepentant sins, depending upon its severity, it will determine your entry into heaven, purgatory or hell. 

The Lord is not forsaking the sinner but considering all other beings and their right to exist in harmony and to not be harmed or injured. 

The responsibility is yours.  You are responsible for your own soul and conduct.

Therefore, the answer is simple, if you have sinned, confess, repent and atone. 

The Lord will love you regardless. 

The question is whether you will be able to (or want to) receive. 

Let It Go

Kindred,

Take a deep breath. 

Breathe. 

Take a deep breath.

Breathe. 

Repeat.

Say a prayer.

Try the Serenity Prayer (attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971):

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Identify the why and how of the problem or crisis.

Own it.

Then let the bad go; let it go.

Let it go (suggestions):

     Write down the problem and burn off the note.

     Whisper or scream under water.

     Give it up to the Lord.

Pray again.

Try the prayer from Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;

After prayer or meditation, do something productive.

Exercise

Find tasks to keep busy

Think up solutions

Work on solutions…..

Be strong. 

Stand.

And

Let it go.

Love the Lord

Kindred,

Worship no one, but the Lord.

 

Worship, to revere the divine, places to some level the object of our veneration or adoration up high, high on a pedestal.

When we love, we tend to hero worship.  We give attributes to the people we admire that they sometimes do not have. 

How do you know your favorite celebrity is the person portrayed?  

Do their accomplishments even rise to the level of a hero?  Ever to the level of the divine? 

Ever wonder if the Lord even require our worship? 

The Lord requires love, true love.

Not the love-worship that places love up high on a pedestal or shelf, but the kind of love that gives and places the other first; the deep, deep love from every fiber of our being (soul, mind and heart). 

How deep is your love? 

                                              (love for the Lord)

Listen

Kindred,

I am not sure if you have ever been bullied, oppressed, displaced or worse.  I, therefore, do not know your level of understanding or sensitivity to freedom, to human rights and to human dignity. 

If you have never been endangered, of not being seen as a person or even treated or regarded as a person, I am not sure you will totally get what it is like to not have a voice, or to determine the course of your life; to have no choice or opportunity to be and become. 

The Lord not only works in mysterious ways, but also work through anyone, anywhere. 

If you do not recognize this element, then you will miss out on the teachings and lessons to help you find not only your best self, but your way Home. 

You will also miss out on the Lord.

There are certain requirements in order to find your way; love the Lord and love thy neighbor.

Jesus Christ in the parable of the Good Samaritan gave an important example of how to love thy neighbor.  Regardless of who you are, you are not better or even good when you ignore and pass by someone in need; especially when that person is in serious need, beaten, robbed and left to die.  Do not ignore, just pass by, help. 

Now, again, I am not sure you understand what it is like to call out for help and to have no one come to your aid because of some ignorant bias or slanderous lie; to have numerous traumas inflected continuously and seemingly endlessly, only to have these injuries justified again and again by some careless excuse and selfish delusion.  

Then, again, perhaps you understand too well, what it means and the importance of being a good Samaritan; and you understand the full consequences of missing out and missing out on good ideas, solutions and teachings from certain talented people if they are not heard.

If certain holy people are not heard, neither will the Lord’s word and work be heard through them. And you will never know how important these words and works are. 

For the Holy Spirit works through people in their spirit, together. 

Holy mysteries will not be revealed, and you cannot receive the gifts and hear the words, and have it work in you, until you listen.

                        (listen for the holy in the person and the Holy Spirit)

Belong to the Lord

Kindred,

We, the people, humanity, the world, belong to the Lord. 

What else belong to the Lord? 

Time, our time.

Talent, our talent.

Treasure, our treasure.

Everything and everyone.

Any theft, oppression, injury, or crime committed upon the Lord’s children, is an affront to the Lord. 

By respecting, honoring, regarding people, we respect, honor and regard the Lord. 

Love and Love

Kindred,

When we die, the Lord decides whether we enter Heaven or not.  

Often, we debate or indulge in wishful fantasy, as if we know, who the Lord will invite.  We guess at the number of good deeds performed, the level of goodness in a person’s heart, the strength of faith in the soul to where the variables become numerous or even singular. 

In fact, we do not really know.  Whether or not you or I are invited into Heaven is not our choice or decision.

 

What is in our choice is who we are, whether (or not) we serve and how we serve the Lord to the Lord’s satisfaction. 

Another decision not within our choice, from the beginning, is our talents, our color, our gender, our race, our life.  The Lord created us.

 

What is within our choice of life, is how we use, develop our talents and learn to discover talents yet unknown; how we live our life.

 

The Lord also sets within us a purpose or calling.  It is up to us to answer and make that purpose meaningful.

 

To help this purposeful and learning process, the Lord commanded:  

Love the Lord above all.

Love your neighbor as you would yourself (in fellowship).

Basically, simply, we are commanded to love and to love. 

Forgiveness

Kindred,

Your friend has been acting like he is a god, as if he needs to be worshiped (like a false idol), while he is treating people with disrespect, dishonor and disregard.

Now his lies and grandiose delusions are starting to be exposed.  Caught in some of his lies and crimes, he gives excuses, blames the victim and demands to be forgiven. 

And if the victim cannot forgive, then it is the victim who is bad and unchristian.

 

My question is:

Where is the ask?

            Shouldn’t he ask, instead of demand, to be forgiven?

Where is the sincerity?

            Shouldn’t he be honest and truthful in remorse?

Where is the repentance?

            Shouldn’t he actually be sorry for causing pain and harm, instead of sorry that he is caught? 

Where is the atonement? 

            Shouldn’t there be efforts to change the negative behaviors and to stop the patterns and practices of sin? 

Demanding that the victim do something to correct the negative behaviors, when the victim is not the perpetrator, when the victim did not do anything wrong, is not reasonable or even possible.  It is not the victim’s lies and crimes. 

At no time did the victim have effective control or any control over perpetrator’s actions and sins. 

Why then would it be the responsibility of the victim to correct the wrong(s)?  How would it even be possible? 

Winner or Loser?

Kindred,

Are you a winner or loser?

It’s a trick question or rather a Rorschach-like test :)

The answer is a determination of self-esteem and self-confidence; one in which you will have to delve further in order to fully answer.

 

Let’s suspend the question for a moment.

In a competition, who are you really competing against?

 

Yes, you are competing against your opponent, but really you are “competing” against yourself; challenging yourself to be better and besting your best time, best score or best technique or mark. 

Life, though, is not a competition.  Life is a journey, your journey.  Will it be a journey of excellence? Only you will be able to answer.  You choose who you will be, who you will become.

 

Even in the most difficult times and harshest of tragedies, you are the one to decide how to rise to the challenge, work through the pain, endure and survive.

 

These choices determine your character and forms who you are; and it answers (the question or test), your level of self-esteem and self-confidence.

And, ultimately, it answers who you will answer to. 

Are You Responsible for Just Yourself?

Kindred,

These days I feel like I should start with Charles Dickens' words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….”, your choice of times.

In good times, people often thank the Lord; that is when they remember to be thankful.  In bad times, they often wonder how God could let this happen; as if the blame is on God. 

When most of the bad that arise are direct consequences of people making bad choices; committing harm or allowing for harm to happen.  God rarely comes into the equation. 

The Lord commands us to love your neighbor as yourself; to do no harm. 

It is the Lord’s will that only good happens. 

Yet, does it? 

Just where does the responsibility lie?

Do you realize that people are the only living things on earth that have the ability and the capacity to consciously do anything?

Therefore, any harm done is on us.

The choice is yours to do what you will.