Bent

I was recently sent this bent fable for my review. I'll list it first and then presently, my thoughts about it. It apparently touched something in me:
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A mother asked President Bush,
"Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"
Another mother asked President Kennedy,
"Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam?"
Another mother asked President Truman,
"Why did my son have to die in Korea?
Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt,
"Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?"
Another mother asked President W. Wilson,
"Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"
Yet another mother asked President Lincoln,
"Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"
And yet another mother asked President G. Washington,
"Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?"
Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die
on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"
The answers to all these are similar --
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace,
happiness and freedom."
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My thoughts/reflections:

Hmmm. I don't remember her asking that, but for the sake of the argument: Seems like its a way to justify the death of war using the birth of Christ. Seems kinda warm and fuzzy, but alot of those other wars were waged for various different reasons and not always the same as the current war in Iraq. I mean, someone could go back to every war in history and make up the same "a mother asked" scenario. I think just because its a war doesn't mean its right.

Bottom line: I think its crappy for someone to use the birth of Christ to make this point. Which, I think is flawed too. Lets take a look at that: "The answers to all these are similar --'So that others may have life and dwell in peace,happiness and freedom.'"

So, Jesus died so that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom? Lets really think about that. Paul, you have your hand raised; do you have a question? Paul said, "Yeah, once Christ came into my life I presented his Love my whole life and was constantly tortured and eventually killed because of it. So, what happened to my freakin' peace?". Oh, while we're at it lets ask the rest of the Christian Martyrs over the years why they really think Christ died. I bet it won't be close to the above.

The reason Jesus died wasn't to let us dwell in peace, happiness and freedom. He died at the hands of man to fulfill the burden placed on man since the fall and in that restore the relationship between He and us. He died because He Loved his creation and wanted us to be how and who we were created to be.

And in that relationship we are free, but the Word also says we're slaves to Christ.

In this relationship we find Joy, not happiness, because being happy is when I get that big slab of pancakes and by the time I'm done I'm sick of it. Its temporal.

He does give us peace. But not peace as in if I walk around in Iraq I won't get shot because I'm a Christian. No, its peace in that if I'm walking around in Iraq and get shot, my peace is in my relationship with my Creator and no matter what might happen to my physical body, my spirit/soul belongs to Christ and no one can take that.

The Word talks about the battle against the one who can kill both soul and body. We should not be worried about physical peace.

Its the popular american bent christianity that makes arguments like this. And it should be torn down by the very Word that it bends to fit its purposes.

-rant over.

Heritage

you think he's proud of the ambient glow of life that riddles his earth?

or saddened by the vast number of glowworms that refuse thier heritage?

in fact, i'm not blind yet, from the light i mean...but oh how my heart longs for the numenous bloom of eternal sunshine of which blindness is the only outcome; and the loss of sight brings the realization of truth and faith in which Love binds in unadulterated accord.

my appetite for revolution is mounting.

we store up courage awaiting the perfect timing of Love and its course in us; in such a time that Love may inhabbit this world.

forasmuch as you're human - your call will be one to change your state of invisible apathy to absolved joy.

can you see its radience, its passion, its love?

New Developments

as to not feel dead my songwriting, i've been narrowing down some of my old songs and working on some of my new ones and putting them on a myspace page. i have one for my songs, www.myspace.com/aslynrose and another for me and blake www.myspace.com/fphilipmorris - enjoy, share your thoughts and expect more tunes later.

listen to this

you may have to sign up by giving your email address. but its worth it. derek webb and don miller answering questions. right on.

http://www.derekwebbchat.com/audiochat.php

some adivce from an old friend...

niles a servant of Christ Jesus, by the will of God -
to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are of the Church of Rococians: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. i give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. the Spirit led me to think of ways we may stay faithful to Him, even though we may be apart. it stems from Mark 12:30, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment, and the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. This is Truth from the lips of our Savior.
First that we Love God with all our heart... What does this mean? look like? that our Father comsumes all affairs of our heart. all other loves flow from our central love of the Face and Heart of the Eternal God. that all our loves exist only to be in unity with our First Love....therefore, let us capture any love that is not rooted deeply in the Love of the Father and put it there, and if it wont go...then destroy it. may our hearts overflow with the Love that comes from Jesus and always guard our hearts against the evil one. we may not truely love anything until we can center our Hearts around the Love of Christ, for His is the fountain by which we all may drink. Also, Love the Lord with all your soul....Our souls have been bathed in the blood of Christ--- therefore, we are filled with the Spirit and He is forever with us, just as Christ said....you can feel Him even now as you read this, therefore to Love God with all our souls means to submit to live every second as if it as the first and last moment of our lives. to be ever mindful of the Spirit that dwells inside us....so that everything we do whether in action or word we do it in the name of Jesus giving thanks to Him that we may have that second at all.(1cor. 10:31, col. 3:17) for if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (gal 5:25)....nothing is better for our souls than to walk in this Love.
Love Jesus also with your mind.....this shall keep us accountable in a couple different areas. to grow in knowledge of the Lord will foster the growing appitite for change and progress. this new knowledge, as you know shall beget wisdom that will exist in perfect union with the heart and soul for the Glory of God. second, to Love God with all our minds should be a mind that thinks about Holy things (see 2cor. 10:5)...we shall capture our minds and make them slaves to Christ, servants to the Will of the Father. let us renew our minds at every moment for the future and
present and past Glory of our Father's Kingdom.
Finally, Love the Lord God with all our strength. we know each others strengths, but the Lord gave us these things, and you will recieve more as we mature. we have our talents but as soon as we realize our spiritual gifts are nothing without our Spirit, then we shall achieve nothing but personal glory....there is nothing that the Lord desires to withhold from His children.....this is evident from our conversion from darkness to light.....if he will bring me from the depths of Hell, why wouldnt he give me anything? all of this in His name, for if not its meaningless. to maintain this church over these few months, we need only to seek first the Kingdom of Christ, and all these things will be added as we need them, and this Love Christ talks about will and has made itself manifest in our very lives. no more talk. watch. do. Love. always.

Grace be with you.
Niles

if i had to speak it would be in song-
something that rhymes to get me along-
to bring me out but disguise in code-
what i feel - like a metaphorical ode

thus - i see brewing something
like change - hopefully fulltime
meaningful hours instead of only
my time being full of hours -

i don't know what it looks
like - i only pray that i see it -
when the moment comes i can
get back to not only meaningful
hours but moments -

if i had to speak it would be in song-
something that rhymes to get me along-
well this did not rhyme after the first stanza -
neither metaphorical it was really no code
at all.

Found somewhere by bored readings

Micro worlds we hold
deeply stuffed for our
hour of need

are fine for you,
but ah when they
prey on hearts

weak on time it
surely robs them
blind of joy.

So, a little help with
this world out of
the cove it was
hidden in to
errupt into
manifested
life.

- Missons by Selionen Fugers

enthused by photos

check out the wifey's blog de fotos: lifeportfolio.blogspot.com