Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Truth is truth quote
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
-Dalai Lama.
-Dalai Lama.
Truth is truth quote
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
-Mother Theresa.
-Mother Theresa.
Truth is truth- The Demon Driver.
One of the things Ive found is that truth is no a respecter of persons. Truth is as truth is. It's unowned and belongs to no individual person or group of people. Truth transcends time and culture.
Even Jesus once said about people outside of his circle, "You don't know them? You've never met them. They just picked up Love in my name apparently out of thin air, saying the things we say and doing the things we do... and yet they're not one of us.... Foreigners to us...
Don't stop them. For whoever isn't against us, is for us". (Luke 9:50- the story of the unknown demon-driver; paraphrased).
Let me ask you. Was the unknown "demon driver" perfect in his understanding of the truth? Who was he? What were the critical points of his theology? (unknown). What about your pastor yesterday? Did he get it all right? What about the "different" church down the street? The dude on TV? That book you read yesterday?
And how did you and I become the final measure of truth? What about me... Could I have gotten it wrong? What about you?
Truth is truth, and if it begins outside of us, then it must be true for everyone where ever
it can be found. Either that, or it's true for no one at all.
Even Jesus once said about people outside of his circle, "You don't know them? You've never met them. They just picked up Love in my name apparently out of thin air, saying the things we say and doing the things we do... and yet they're not one of us.... Foreigners to us...
Don't stop them. For whoever isn't against us, is for us". (Luke 9:50- the story of the unknown demon-driver; paraphrased).
Let me ask you. Was the unknown "demon driver" perfect in his understanding of the truth? Who was he? What were the critical points of his theology? (unknown). What about your pastor yesterday? Did he get it all right? What about the "different" church down the street? The dude on TV? That book you read yesterday?
And how did you and I become the final measure of truth? What about me... Could I have gotten it wrong? What about you?
Truth is truth, and if it begins outside of us, then it must be true for everyone where ever
it can be found. Either that, or it's true for no one at all.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Jews, Tattoos, and The Blues
Ok. It's probably midlife. Some dudes do the girl thing....(twenty-somethingish). Some do the sports car thing. I remember a guy I started my nursing career with who came in one morning with an earring. It wouldn't be a big thing except earrings weren't his style at all. He was an older dude with a big mustache (looked like Rip Taylor), and the sudden earring (like that ruffly Jerry Seinfeld shirt) made him look like a Male-nurse/Pirate. Or at least a little desperate; like maybe he was trying too hard.
The truth is that anything midlife comes off as desperate. If you're gonna do it.... The goal I think is to be honest with it, and keep it somewhat within character. And for me... tattoos aren't that much out of character. I mean. It's not like tomorrow I'm getting hair implants or a rug......
If I were to do something really big, I think I would become Jewish. Really, I think it's a good fit. I'm already circumcised. I'm really familiar with the Old Testament. (They don't like it when you call their Holy Book the "old" Testament). And ultimately I think Jewish people understand the blues (One of their worship places is called "the wailing wall).
But as it is, I'm settling for getting a tattoo (which is the opposite of being Jewish.... Tattoos- not allowed). And that's unfortunate because Jews and Tattoo wearer's and Blues dudes all have something in common. They all take life and mark themselves with it in some way....
Blues guys have the songs....
Jews have it in their holidays and in the normal "stuff" of life... example; Weekly Sabbath. (Rest). Yom Kippur. (New Beginnings). Passover. (Deliverance).
Tattoos are kind of like that. True... Sometimes people get tattoos just cause they think it's cool. But sometimes it's deeper than that. Sometimes it's about saying something about themselves, or someone they've lost. Or who they are. What they've come through.
Thats like a jewish holiday, Right? And it's definitely like a blues song.
The truth is that anything midlife comes off as desperate. If you're gonna do it.... The goal I think is to be honest with it, and keep it somewhat within character. And for me... tattoos aren't that much out of character. I mean. It's not like tomorrow I'm getting hair implants or a rug......
If I were to do something really big, I think I would become Jewish. Really, I think it's a good fit. I'm already circumcised. I'm really familiar with the Old Testament. (They don't like it when you call their Holy Book the "old" Testament). And ultimately I think Jewish people understand the blues (One of their worship places is called "the wailing wall).
But as it is, I'm settling for getting a tattoo (which is the opposite of being Jewish.... Tattoos- not allowed). And that's unfortunate because Jews and Tattoo wearer's and Blues dudes all have something in common. They all take life and mark themselves with it in some way....
Blues guys have the songs....
Jews have it in their holidays and in the normal "stuff" of life... example; Weekly Sabbath. (Rest). Yom Kippur. (New Beginnings). Passover. (Deliverance).
Tattoos are kind of like that. True... Sometimes people get tattoos just cause they think it's cool. But sometimes it's deeper than that. Sometimes it's about saying something about themselves, or someone they've lost. Or who they are. What they've come through.
Thats like a jewish holiday, Right? And it's definitely like a blues song.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Gay Samaritan
It's funny how close sane people come to insanity every day. (or every night as it were).
I was driving home from work. The sky was ridiculously blue, and I was letting my imagination run wild. I was remembering a dream I had of a time when I was at Seminary learning everything there is to know about God (they would have you believe). And in my dream, Jesus was there; teaching one of my classes.
And also there was a ferret sitting next to me taking notes.
(The ferret who was dressed like a hipster with an anti-stylish coffee mug setting on his desk, was making sure that everyone around him knew he was drinking the finest freshest roasted coffee in the land).
As Jesus was speaking I could tell that my seminary professor (known for his stand on moral issues and family values) was concerned about the apparent "reckless" teachings of Jesus on the subject of love. And so he stood up with a question to test Jesus and he stated his question like this: “So, Professor...... what do I NEED to do to GET eternal life?”. He asked.
Jesus answered, “What’s written in the Bible. How do you interpret it?”He said,
“That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself".
The ferret leaned towards me and whispered, "All you need is love".
"Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.
But looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once an old blues man traveling down 11th street. He was walking with nothing but the clothes on his back and a well used electric-blue guitar. About half way down the road he was attacked by some young punks. They took his clothes, and his guitar, and beat him, and went off leaving him half-dead.
Luckily, a preacher was on his way down the same road, but when he saw the beaten man, he angled across to the other side of 11th street.
Then a religious man, a political activist, a real angry guy (looked just like Fred Phelps ...) showed up carrying his God hates fags signs. But already late for his protest, and his hands full, he also avoided the injured man.
But just then a gay man was traveling down 11th street and came up on the injured blues man. And when he saw the injured mans condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he put him in the back seat of his car, made him comfortable and took him to the nearest Emergency Room just down the street.
He gave the receptionist his own information along with 500 dollars and told her, ‘Take good care of him. Im late for an important meeting and have to go. But if it costs any more, I’ll be coming back to check on him, and I'll pay you on my way back.’
“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by these young punks"?
“The one who treated him kindly,” the Seminary professor responded.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
My mind was coming back to the road, but not before I noticed the clock on the wall melting (Salvador Dali-style). The ferret, sitting at my side, took off his thick black rimmed glasses and stood (on his hind paws) giving a rousing round of applause. And then ebbing into my "crazy", I resisted the returning sound of traffic (and "reality") and with one last burst of imagination I lifted up off the ground like a dragon-fly and flew off into the ridiculous, lunatic, electric-blue sky.
I was driving home from work. The sky was ridiculously blue, and I was letting my imagination run wild. I was remembering a dream I had of a time when I was at Seminary learning everything there is to know about God (they would have you believe). And in my dream, Jesus was there; teaching one of my classes.
And also there was a ferret sitting next to me taking notes.
(The ferret who was dressed like a hipster with an anti-stylish coffee mug setting on his desk, was making sure that everyone around him knew he was drinking the finest freshest roasted coffee in the land).
As Jesus was speaking I could tell that my seminary professor (known for his stand on moral issues and family values) was concerned about the apparent "reckless" teachings of Jesus on the subject of love. And so he stood up with a question to test Jesus and he stated his question like this: “So, Professor...... what do I NEED to do to GET eternal life?”. He asked.
Jesus answered, “What’s written in the Bible. How do you interpret it?”He said,
“That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself".
The ferret leaned towards me and whispered, "All you need is love".
"Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.
But looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once an old blues man traveling down 11th street. He was walking with nothing but the clothes on his back and a well used electric-blue guitar. About half way down the road he was attacked by some young punks. They took his clothes, and his guitar, and beat him, and went off leaving him half-dead.
Luckily, a preacher was on his way down the same road, but when he saw the beaten man, he angled across to the other side of 11th street.
Then a religious man, a political activist, a real angry guy (looked just like Fred Phelps ...) showed up carrying his God hates fags signs. But already late for his protest, and his hands full, he also avoided the injured man.
But just then a gay man was traveling down 11th street and came up on the injured blues man. And when he saw the injured mans condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he put him in the back seat of his car, made him comfortable and took him to the nearest Emergency Room just down the street.
He gave the receptionist his own information along with 500 dollars and told her, ‘Take good care of him. Im late for an important meeting and have to go. But if it costs any more, I’ll be coming back to check on him, and I'll pay you on my way back.’
“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by these young punks"?
“The one who treated him kindly,” the Seminary professor responded.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
My mind was coming back to the road, but not before I noticed the clock on the wall melting (Salvador Dali-style). The ferret, sitting at my side, took off his thick black rimmed glasses and stood (on his hind paws) giving a rousing round of applause. And then ebbing into my "crazy", I resisted the returning sound of traffic (and "reality") and with one last burst of imagination I lifted up off the ground like a dragon-fly and flew off into the ridiculous, lunatic, electric-blue sky.
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