Hollering At Hillsides (date unknown)

  There exists a truly dumb pop song from back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The title is something like "Kung Fu Fighting" by that renowned artist, Carl Somebody-or-Another. The song does for music, what cotton candy does for health food. Unfortunately, the sticky feature of spun sugar is all too likely a comparison, and once such "music" is filed in the parietal lobe (or where ever such things reside), the sucker is very difficult to evict. It is kind of like "Ding-Dong The Witch Is Dead!" from Oz, once in; it is nearly unremovable. Likewise, those T V or radio advertisements you so strongly dislike, are also nearly unforgettable. And one of the recurring themes in these essays is a glue-like statement, by Mr. Faithful You Know Who. It involves faith, it uses mountain imagery, and frankly I find it flatly ludicrous. Ludicrous, and also just about impossible to eject out of the brain.

  As a boy growing up in Albuquerque, the scenery to the east of the city is the Sandia (Watermelon) Mountains. And no, watermelons do not grow there. Large granite shields face the city, and as a short vato; I truly loved those mighty chunks of rock. Is it multi-millions of tons we view, or more than that perhaps? These champions of sturdiness, are rooted downward and inward to much more solid rock below. A direct strike by an atomic bomb would not remove them. Damage and scar them yes; remove them no. With this in mind then, set aside this reading for a moment and conduct an experiment or two will you?

  Take a penny or a nickel, and find a flat smooth surface. Carefully balance your coin on edge, and without puffing any air upon it, nor shifting the table it rests upon, talk to it. Yes, I said talk to it! Say, "Fall over sideways", and repeat your efforts until you find success. Uhm, that didn't work? Well maybe the coin was a tad hefty after all, try this instead. Find a cotton ball, and remove a tiny pinch of it and set it beside the stubborn coin. Talk to the cotton. Repeat after me; "Move 1/8th of an inch south.", until the little rascal begins scooting all over the table. . .  Call me when that begins, will ya?

  Now, after you get really really good at knocking over coins, and hoisting fluff, try next talking to the megatons of granite rooted into bedrock, east of Albuquerque and hoss them monsters over somewhere into the mid Pacific for me, will ya? And when that big splash occurs, we might (then) first affirm that you possess "small faith". Does this make any sense at all for you? 

  And like Kung Fu Fighting, I can neither enjoy the thought, nor rid myself of it. "If you had faith (and apparently, I don't then?) as small as a mustard seed, you'd say to the granite Watermelons, 'Be tossed 3200 miles', and they would obey". Uh, sure Pal. Huh? Uhm, not to appear crass or such Sir, but is your mind working . . . at all?
  Which (prey tell) of the mightiest arch-angels (ever) has done likewise, and just precisely; when was that? Which of the holiest of all the saints (or any congregation of them for that matter), once carried out this big splash rock toss? I'd ask; "If nobody could, nobody has, and none shall, whom exactly qualifies as "the faithful" here, which we are discussing?". Furthermore, this big splash (did we mention the resulting tsunami?) is the beginning point, the entry level to faith? And not to appear blasphemous or anything, just when did God; the Almighty Son Himself; even ever do any such thing? I'm just curious.

  We end up with a category called "the believing" which is a null set. By this "standard of faith" then (no person performing it ever), none thereby "have faith", am I reading this right? And that being the case, remind me again (I'm so forgetful!) why we are talking about this? 

  Further, this is a core teaching to "good news" you say? Well, the way I read this message, the central axiom apparently is that I don't have what it takes to please the Almighty, if by pleasing; we mean "belief" as defined. In short, by this standard I'm just not good enough (and I heartily agree!), but how does this qualify as either news, or good? I don't get it, and likely never shall. Carl, how does that song go again?

  Now the paragraphs above are the normal brain furniture and clutter I have to ordinarily navigate, concerning the mountain faith thing. Or in simpler terms yet, the topic just does not file, and I usually do my best to generally ignore it. As a recurring theme over the years, I have attempted to deal with the teaching in a variety of ways, but uniformly those have been to deduce some "principle", or to infer some "truth" out of it, but not obviously in it. Such like truths perhaps point back to the cross, or highlight the glory of God?
  The short version of such efforts, is that I (like most believers); am still "reading into" the Kings' words some "secret message", rather than reading the message itself. And for all I know (not much), this type of reading between the lines; rather than reading of the lines, might well be the best we can do? But why or how the chucking megatons of rock is being applied, eludes me. So then, having not the faith as a grain of mustard seed (with nary a hillock pitched), I muddle on as best as I can.
  On a somewhat related note, it appears that I am not alone. Having viewed a couple of those christiany type faith movies lately (you know; the ones critics hate so strongly?), "faith" as a topic is pretty unfocused. We get a television type crisis, which the viewer is quite confident shall be resolved somehow in the next 37 minutes or so. The mention of Jesus, of the cross, and of forgiveness just sort of hangs there, from the believers' work belt as this odd multi-tool. It hammers every nail, trowels every slab, and plumbs every wall, and remains mainly undefined and invisible.
  In those movies, faith is much more like magic, plus a heavy dose of providence. It remains a very very remarkable set of coincidences running rapid fire, mixed in with a society of which about 8% of the population appears to work for a living. The norm is a gang of folks who enjoying life, having leisure, money and whatnot are yet dissatisfied. So everybody has tons of free time to sit around practicing on coin knocking, and fluff tossing until they get good at it, and uniformly they all do so?
  Faith ends up an undefined but desirable activity which though impossible, isn't beyond the reach of anybody? What? The enormously powerful lever which makes the thing go, is something called "free choice". Though the lever is never quite explained, nor just how one goes about freely choosing to launch mountains is discussed, plainly faith is stated to be "a choice"; and that is all. No wonder I'm a Calvinist eh?
  Todays' brainwave then, is to pretend. Let us imagine for a moment that we do not have to sift through twenty centuries worth of blather and muddleheaded nonsense in order to hear the King as He speaks. Nor do we need to sift amid the nonsense I have arrived at in the above section of this C.P.E., in order to drop for the next fifteen minutes, any conclusions previously heard or arrived at, on the topic. We are free to listen, free to understand the Man!
  The scene is Him heading into Jerusalem, but this is the day after. The day after what? And there is one, just one day, upon which the comments rotate. Preachers call it "The triumphal entry" in which the city seems to (for once!) acknowledge her rightful Sovereign.
  He comes cruising in on a baby donkey! It is the inverse, the upside down of an Alexander on a war stallion, it is the flip side to a Caesar upon a golden chariot, and it was predicted. The town is going wild! He goes to where? To hobknob with royalty over at Herods' house, or to rally the movement down at the town square? Nope, He goes into the temple, and as a one man gang, evicts forcibly the money changers, and the profiteers selling live animals.
  See? It was a racket they had going on. The yearly return to Jerusalem for animal sacrifice, and the feasting was in the Law of Moses. But face it, who is going to drive a herd of animals overland a hundred miles in the desert? So, people would bring money instead, and buy the sacrifice, and the grub for the feast in J-town. Guess what, the price just went up. Guess what again, not everybody is using minted coins, and the "fees and surcharges" for exchanging bullion or raw silver just this week went through the roof.
  Paying nine dollars for a burrito at the state fair is actually a good deal, in comparison to what was going on then. Because, surprise surprise this whole crooked enterprise also was (partly) so costly because the temple authorities were getting a big cut of the action! He pees in their collective Post Toasties, and singlehandedly shuts the money factory down. The crowd goes wild!
  So, it's the day after that, and at breakfast time, Him not wanting a nine dollar burrito, or a seven dollar corndog, He hunts up the nearest fig tree. It is not yet bearing fruit, so He curses it to death. Sounds kinda extreme to me, but that is what happened. The 12 take a picture and post it on Instagram. His comment about mountains and seeds is the response to them being stunned by the ex-tree, recently become firewood. The "fig tree" The King is searching for fruit upon, is barren, and is to be removed . . . soon!
  So, in this context then, the "mountain" (God's dwelling place) is to be demolished! Remember poor old Jeremiah? All of that "unpatriotic" talk of his about how the forever covenant was being broken, and thereby how those planted "forever" in the land would be swept away to captivity? Hey, where is his love for the flag? Or think of the talk of our King, when He was in the temple? It's future rubble, it is all coming down! "Not one stone left atop another!", He unpatriotically asserts.
  For us Americans to hear this type of thing, we would need a God loving, flag waving, patriot to suddenly start talking about this "land of the free" becoming a radioactive parking lot for the Chinese in the future. This America lover, this admirer of the exceptional (and greatest!) nation, predicting the land becoming some kind of third world dump, is the idea. The champion of the constitution, and quoter of "our founders" suddenly found selling condo rentals in Somalia and Bangladesh, as more desirable places to live? It is intended as a shock.
  The mountain pitched into the sea, is the unthinkable! Israel was forced to think; "Isn't God on our side? Aren't we the special people? Hey, even He lives here, its' gotta be a special place!". The seed to mountain thing is along those lines, and is clearly a "Hell No!" type of answer.
  As for the tiny seed, clearly the King elsewhere links the mustard seed right back to Daniels' prophecy of a "world king" (Nebuchanezzar then) as a tree growing up, in which the birds shelter. Instead of some sequoia, or mighty oak, it is a garden herb! The True World King is a Gardener! The "tiny and insignificant thing" is "planted", and kingdoms fall, mountains are torn from their roots, traditions perish, whole nations tumble.
  One low born rabble rouser, one penniless trouble maker is bumped off, and the entire course of history shifts? Yes, and amen!
  Faith is here, not over in coincidence, magic, or choice. "Believe this, and something happens in you", that is the drift of the message. The missing key here, is participation (I mean ours), in this epic uproar.
  To speak to (as that rat L.B.J. used to say) "my fellow Americans" for a moment, faith is not about "restoring standards". Faith is not about holding dear our history, nor "being concerned" (whatever that means) about our future. When we say things like; "I am concerned for our nation", that is faithless drivel, stop it!
  Our true nation is believing Israel, that remnant into which we have generously been joined as aliens and strangers. And that nation can never die! Start there.
  And not to wax too lurid, the rightful Judgement against all un-right ought be visited upon the powerful, the haughty, and the wicked. If, for instance; my personal guess that the dollar is about to go the way of the Dodo, we participate! His folk, bold, glad and fearless! Is that us, cowering behind our I.R.A.s, and stockpiles of guns and food? His people, denouncing high treason against the True King, where ever and when ever it occurs, do we suddenly get all forgetful about the murder of millions of babies when it is personally convienent?
  Our "tiny seeds" of participation in the kingdoms of this world, becoming The Kingdom of our God, and of His Christ . . . are accepted! They are welcomed, they are allowed to become pivotal, and significant!
  The calamity of 70 A.D. in Israel is intended to point forward in time. No earthly empire, no merely human tradition, no "way of life" is permanent, they are all Johnny come lately, flash in the pan, affairs. And as He pitches them all into the round file of history, He is pleased to use the "insignificant and low", He employs the "nobodies and losers" as they join hands in that mighty good dance, to rock the world to its' foundations.
  Faith as a topic, this hollering at hillsides; we might illustrate as follows. A 50 million ton train is roaring down the tracks. Four engines and a hundred-plus cars, all derailed . . by one loose spike in the tracks? Or perhaps, that mighty big train being altered in its' course by one controller pushing one button, to shift the tracks? Huge results come from small changes, and the hour by hour attitudes and choices we make, have enormous repercussions at the end of things.
  Or think of a busy commercial airport, jumbo jets, airbus giants all being "told what to do" by that one guy out there in the orange jumpsuit with the flashlight? With a flick of a wrist, and a nod of a head, thousand ton aircraft taxi about, just as he says? The enormity of results is surprisingly linked to the tinyness of cause, this we believe.
  It is the cumulative effect of "the little things" which make the world, either for better or for worse. As we go along in life, we remember that, and participate! So yes, choice is involved, but nobody of themselves "chooses" to resurrect himself out of death, and into life. Yet, as living men, we (now freed!) choose freely life, or more appropriately, The Living One!
  The tiny calamities, those puny nations and half baked empires tumbling, all point forward, to a world, nay, a reality (!) crumbling. The day is coming. The King is coming! To be found a traitor in that hour, we wish upon no man, for the sheer terror of it.
  Now, lets' talk about the cross! Away from this kind of context, finding forgiveness means nothing. Being saved is a null set. If there are no consequences, then if I like my sin, there is no reason to flee it. What if I don't care if I am forgiven, and frankly refuse to lay down my revenge, what then? The Tsunami from on high hits one day, and it is unsurvivable, that's what.
  The tidal wave has a name, talk to Him. Trust Him when He says He has you covered. Like Bush 2, we are freed thus to say, "Bring it on!".
  That is what hollering at hillsides is about, in this plumbers' estimation. Our saying "Amen, come Lord Jesus" could trigger a global financial meltdown? Hey, why not, bigger mountains have been flung by smaller seeds than that! And He is the One giving the courage to ride that wild wave! Yep, that's faith for ya.

Secret File #1 The Blackest Knight (date October 2013)

  Note to the reader; perusing the heap of old C.P.E.s over in the corner, I found my "secret files". Most are pretty bogus, and maybe I'll pound in a few of them in the future, and maybe not. At any rate, this one is still interesting enough (to me at least) to post. So, it is not technically a genuine C.P.E., in that I've never circulated (until now) copies of it. Happy reading!

  A chap can get too much of a good thing, and this fellow has been playing around altogether too much with the worldwide interweb in the past weeks. Dial into the search feature of You Tube any random series of words, and something will come up! I can't recall what led me to a video clip of "The 10 strangest Photos of All Time" or whatever the blasted thing was called. I probably entered "starship, polar ice, evidence" or to that effect?
  It's not really a video, but more of a slideshow. The one photograph that stunned me was a NASA shot of "The Black Knight".
  Have you seen any of these pictures? It's not like there is just one of them. How is it, that in October of 2013, for the first time in my life, I am hearing about this? Don't I specialize in the weird? Aren't we the fans of the unexplained? This goes way beyond weird, into the realm of the disturbingly insane in my book.
  So, before you read any further, open a window on YT, and find the BK (and we ain't talking Burger King here!) so that you will understand the context of the discussion. You can return to this page when you like. After all, it's not winking in and out of sight like some we could name. . .
  Okay, are you back from your stroll down bizarre pants lane? In the first place, I would just like to say, "Huh?". All of that blather about it being from the Bootes system we can do nicely without. It is not the "decoded messages" I care about, it's the artifact itself! How in honking hades can a craft be orbiting earth all of these years, and (a.) nobody claims to have built or launched it, plus (b.) nobody with orbital capacity has even been mildly interested enough to investigate it up close?
  If a close-up shot had been taken, we at minimum could get an accurate guess at the size. Is the stinker 14 feet long, or a 140? With earth in the background, it is difficult to estimate length, much less; mass. If it is a largish thing, could have even the old Saturn V boosters been enough to achieve a polar orbit? I don't know any astrophysics, but do guess that an equatorial orbit is much easier to obtain out of limited fuel resources? So, somebody burnt a ton of fuel to launch a thing that nobody claims, and not a government on the planet has the slightest inclination to examine? What is this?
  From my smurfing the web, I note lots of strange assertions about the BK, but the one that most annoys me, is the winking feature.
  Plot an orbit. Once established, the satellite ought be expectably returning, is that asking too much? Well, yes it is when it comes to this one. They cannot accurately estimate it's orbit? It kinda comes and goes, and sorta shows up now and again? What? Excuse me, but when exactly did orbital mechanics become an iffy proposition? I thought those sliderule geeks at the Jet propulsion lab got paid to figure out things along these lines. Now they are tossing a coin as to when objects "might appear"? I find this disturbing.
  Of course, when you get tired of BK, there is no lack of interesting mystery type stuff out there in cyberspace to waste time over. Disappeared persons, strange creatures, ghost ships and all that sort of material, (I especially enjoy "proof of time travel") is good fun. But this thing blew me out of the saddle!
  In a sense, I don't even care what it is, what so bothers me, is that 10 administrations with orbital capacity, and not one of these presidents (Kennedy through The Hatrack) thought to explore, to know, to peekaboo even? The difference between this topic and UFOs is immense, in that by definition, UFO sightings are unrepeatable and normally out of focus. Bigfoot appears only fleetingly, and usually looks a lot like a guy in a bigfoot costume taken at extreme range, with fuzzy resolution. BK is not of that type, nice clear pictures of a large (?) satellite, taken by sober men in space capsules.
  The basic problem to my thinking of the UFO phenomenon is that altogether too many people have seen things in the air which are unexplainable. I have also, but it was years ago; and have no idea what went overhead. By definition, it is unrepeatable. Newsflash to alien astronauts; "If you desire to remain 'secret' then only fly around after people go to bed, OK?".
  But the basic premise that we are viewing "aliens" who have journeyed from star-afar is simply unsupportable. We cannot know what we do not know. Occam decrees that the simplest explanation serves best. We do know that there are demons in the world, and they are liars. With those two we know enough to solve the "mystery". But BK, what in heck is that?
  Thus, we don't have to think of star empires coming to play hide and seek with a gang of savages. Far simpler, we can infer that the enemy is at it again, in "normal" sightings. But if we just now booted Bootes, and no 20th cen nation did launch, then we are left with but one brain drain answer that I am capable of dredging up. It is the tower at Babel?
  "Nothing shall be impossible to them" comments YAH as that "thing to reach the heavens" is being built. We smugly assume that those hillbillies were building an enormous adobe palace, like maybe taller than the Waldorf even, and The Almighty put a halt to that? Why bother? The structural plasticity of even solid granite only allows a certain maximum, before the gravitational stress oozes out the bottom layer. It would be like trying to build a skyscraper out of Cheez Whiz, it only goes so high, then it just smooshes out the bottom. Why was El Elyon even moderately concerned to frustrate that particular work of man, by confusing the language? The work itself, would have plenty enough frustration of itself.
  The way I see it, we have three basic options, BK is:
a. simply a hoax, fostered for some type of social manipulation, and the photos are fake.
b. a real object launched by a real 20th cen. government, of which Top Secret status still applies.
c. an artifact launched from earth, prior to our "space age".
And this is my best guess? Gadzooks!
  As I understand it (not well), the problem of rocketry is a fuel to payload ratio, which is very narrow. Equatorial orbits are chosen because in order to achieve a polar one, you need more fuel than you can carry. So if you add more fuel on the ground, the vessel is heavier, and requires more boost etc., until you realize that what you really want is an orbital gas station!
  What if, on the plains of Assyria, way back when, they had solved for that? The adobe monument to Cheez Whiz (aerosol cheese-food in a can, what a brain-wave!) was never any "threat" to The Holy One, but to break orbit, and go to the stars? Now that, is strictly off limits.
  Recall, that the enemy and his slaves were thrown down from the heavens. This planet is a prison for those foes of truth, and Yahweh will simply not allow that gang escaping to ruin yet another world. If our great grand-daddys' "tower to the heavens" had any real chance at interstellar transit, that is worth stopping!
  The litany of rape, murder, torture, exploitation and war visited by us, upon our own kind; and all of those other fun and interesting human hobbies being applied to unfallen folk elsewhere? He stepped in, and said "No Dice!".
  We much prefer to imagine that generation as "primitive", but what if they were just flat smarter than us? What if "a tower to the heavens" was the best metaphor that later and nomadic tribesmen were capable of understanding? And this brings me to my final point.
  He frustrates the wisdom of the wise, and seats the lowly with Him. It's not as if an earth based kingdom radiating outward to folk on other planets, is necessarily "wrong"; but all truth remains Messianic. That is, we might guess that persons unfallen might well have knowledge of God, the angels, and an afterlife. But would they ever once in a million years guess correctly that The King of Glory became one of His own creatures? The mission to the stars is not to "explore" but to propound, to affirm, and to explain!
  If BK is what I think it is, that mess of a civilization back when was quarantined off from spreading its' chaotic filth, murderous theft and ruination of peaceful persons. Ditto for our "hopes" for reaching the stars.
  Rather, He descending from above, leads with Him a host of the redeemed above. And now, the context of a new heavens and new earth has something interesting for us to do! What, after all; have we been prepared for?
  We are ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, bringing tidings of great wonder and joy. The Most High has come to be one of us! What then, you prefer a lifetime of training to be just thrown away?
  Haven't you wondered about when the Master feeds the thousands, the order is given to pick up the scraps and waste nothing? Why? He could always have made more, right? It isn't about bread, we are the "one loaf" raised with the yeast of rez power. Not a scrap of that loaf is wasted!
  So then, us being prepared from boyhood as runners bearing news, we being trained all our lives "to give an answer for the hope within", our being clothed with authority, why waste all of that, when (apparently?) none others are being so trained?
  This is big! I love this kind of stuff. Ah, to soar to the stars, no longer afraid that I will ruin and spoil those found. All of that horror show is over at Calvary, and precisely there our message is rooted. We, with Paul; determine to shout nothing but Messiah crucified, and Messiah raised again. We are His witnesses . . . to the heavens!

Wow Wow (date unknown)

  Some folks seem to think that dogs say "bow-wow". I have my doubts. The neighbors' dog for instance has a gab fest with her fellow canines living within earshot most every night. Sometime between ten thirty and four thirty, one hears her remarks to the other dogs barking, and she is very clearly saying "wow-wow". The lady living at Blackies' house (indoors that is) is apparently not bothered at all by her animals' conversations  in the wee hours.
  I call the dog "Black" or "Blackie", but her food provider calls her "Olive". Guess her color?
  Black is not a friendly person, and likes to charge, roaring her many wows, that is; until she hits the end of her chain. She always acts all Schwartzenegger on me, unless I happen to be watering the yard. When those charges begin, I spray her with a little water, and back she goes into her canine casa. She does not like water; . . . at all.
  In the past months, I have been sorely tempted to "sneak" into (my own) yard at about two a.m., turn on the hose, kink it in my hand and wait. The temptation is to quietly hide, awaiting one of her rambling monologues to commence, and just hose her like crazy in mid-sentence! You will no doubt applaud my massive self control in that I have not (yet) acted upon the desire.
  I mean, let's just picture this old, fat, bald guy in his skivvies standing around and peeking over the fence with hose in hand, in the middle of the night. So, the explanation to the cop as to; "Whats' up?" has not (yet) come to me. Water hosing the neighbors' dog is clearly out as an option . . . Hmmm, what would Blackie think of water balloons I wonder? Well, you get the idea.
  We over in our yard, try to have a good attitude about the animal. After all; she is just doing her job. There she is, on-duty guarding her territory from the "dangers" of the night! Further, she is very clearly alerting the rest of the pack to the same terrors lurking in the dark. For instance, that "whoop whoop" sound about a mile away sounds like potential trouble. How is she supposed to know that ambulance sirens are no real threat? That dark thing moving around, is it a possible intruder? Nobody has ever informed her that these "many intruders" are the shadows cast by the streetlight upon wind driven tree branches. She was designed to be on guard, and she is on guard; what's the problem anyhow? That is what I tell myself at least as the critter is passing on her minute by minute reports of "scary stuff".
  I sometimes wonder if the reason the two of us don't get along so well is; "What if she is just a better Christian than I?". She is faithfully passing on the perceived threats to her master and her "people", am I? It's weird to be beaten at Christianity . . . by a dog.
  America is changing; fast! A Muslim bombs a marathon, and they want to blame Christians, because there are "fundamentalists" in both groups? The outright mockery of Messiah Jesus and His word, and (mostly) His folk, grows; here, in our "land of the free". This is the new now, and a new reality, for us at least.
  Were you even aware that some in power wish to make it illegal (!) in the good ol U.S. of A. to criticize "the prophet" (Moe). Public servants are losing their jobs, students are afraid to even ask to pray in Jesus' name, and the homosex crowd is winning in the public estimation of who best speaks truth. It is another America than the one in which I grew up in, and (sadly) Blackie is better at her job, than I am.
  Blackie is the better Christian, let's just face facts. She does warn of dangers coming near her from darkness. Should not the Kirk have been warning for at least a dozen years, of the out-of-dark madness of Moe?
  His insane works righteousness scheme involving high explosives and lots of knives, based upon a self declared office, supposedly superseding positionally; Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Paul, Peter, and Jesus Christ Himself is "verified" by absolutely no prophecies, not one!
  The guy was a con-man thug; who in his spare time was a sexual predator. He dictated drivel to be written down to his flunkies for the excellent reason that the guy was illiterate. Thus, the "holy Quran", thus "the religion of peace".
  In my opinion, things have gone beyond the point of no return here in America. Muslim acts of murder in the name of their sawed off "god" are called "work-place violence". It is never the Muslim slave owners (and sellers) who are are regarded as "bigoted" or "narrow". It is the "intolerant" bad guy Christians who are at fault. . . always. This is our new reality.
  The Apocalypse of John contains a verse; "And they overcame him (the enemy) by the word of their testimony, by the blood of the Lamb, and that they loved not their lives, unto death". Does this describe you? It doesn't sound like anybody I know, myself included. We have grown sleepy, fat and sassy it appears to this gringo. What is the cost of maintaining that there is but one hope of mankind, and that He is King of the Jews? At least, that is how the sign read. It costs everything!
  Go back and take another look at Luke 9. If our main agenda is to keep our money, power and luxury, when the actual pressure comes (and it shall) we will fold like just so many cheap suits. But there is more. This week it is the mad mullahs, next week the Russian mafia, the week following, the dratted Illuminati. It's always something, in this week's outrage. These types of barks in the night which we are so used to, have been compensated for. Like the neighbor lady, we have learned to snooze right through them. But there is a far far worse danger.
  Those twisted jihadists with their damnable suicides know nothing of the Real Terror. And we the followers of the True Prophet, the True Priest, the True King, have been miserably silent for way too long concerning the True Threat, He Himself!
  Old and new, both testaments cite a prophecy of men pleading with the mountains to fall upon, and cover them, that they see not the Mighty One come (on that day) in Holy Fury! He, the True Danger; coming most certainly to wage a war of catastrophe and calamity never imagined, is hardly mentioned at all . . . by us! The (then) ferocious Warrior King, coming to tread down all the foes of truth and righteousness, barely a peep heard from us testifying of Him? Where among fundamentalists of any stripe is the "magic word" for human kind to "RUN!"? The "r-word" is precisely where we have been not sounding the alarm, Blackie is the better Christian.
  There is but one house stout enough, one shelter deep enough to weather that coming storm of Uncreated Vengenance, and now we talk about Calvary, and now we bring up the empty tomb. He who ascended on high, is returning; this time in infinite authority and power. It is; "The Sure Thing".
  Like Job of old, our desire is to see with these eyes of flesh, our Mighty Redeemer stand upon this earth . . . in totally overwhelming victory. This of itself; makes us (technically) "traitors" to mankind. The ultimate Foe, the actual Menace to the world, civilization, mankind (and all else) soberly threatens in Truth. And our being allied with Him, makes us (technically) "enemies" of the world, this is the secret of why we are hated. Ah, but what "enemies" we are! Pleading with He Who Is; for mercy, for pardon, and for the very lives of our "foes"! The battle is upside down, or backwards. We are hated as-if we cared not for them, and we are the ones as we die, pleading for their lives. In His light, we are being made able to stand the heat of that fire, for their lives, for our good and for His Honor.
  By their lights, the worldlings must consider us to be "on the wrong side" of the coming overthrow. Just listen for a day or two to the "news". Isn't just about everything "the fault" of Republicans and Fundies? But take heart! Their testimony (as far as it goes) is true! We don't "belong", nor are we "one of them"! Their anger is the very highest compliment they are presently capable of paying. The King is coming indeed, and even His enemies are beginning to sense it!
  This should encourage us to rush right out and buy some vitamins, to get some good sleep at night and eat wholesome food, so to live as long as possible! He says; "Pray that you've the stength to endure all which is coming, so to stand before Him-Coming". And, with His help, and by His Spirit, we do! He is assisting us to rise to the level of a faithful guardian, to seriously compete with Blackie!
  You, the True Light, You the rising sun of the new creation, in Your light we await justice patiently. In darkness deep we find a courage not our own, and You having freed us, find ourselves asking for more of it. All these and immeasurably more, to Your Honor we sing.
  Face it, either I die, and go to Him, or He comes to us, and the world dies. Either way, we shall see in Person, as He Is, the terrifying . . . and good One!
  And oh, but He has grand plans in store for us, beyond this small potato trial here and now. Really a kind of doorway into an unspeakably fine "deep-good", a shockingly refreshing "new-eating", at an unthinkably grand fiesta is in store.
  And at that great high-feast, His friends shall then tell of how they found courage in the dark, because He had first come out of the dark to find them!
  In the Apocalypse, John writes; "and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". It is "future-history", so testify already!