11 posts tagged “god”
…beep…beep…beep…I can never tell if I have crossed over into the after-life until my conscience
mind starts to hear the trace of the electrocardiograph machine and then I realize that I am still among the living lying here with tubes in every part of my body and I mean every orifice of my poor old body. “How are you feeling this morning?” The question of the day asked by the attending nurse on duty, “Will you turn on the television please?” I mumbled, still groggy from the previous night’s medication. “Here you go, the cable network news” the nurse quipped. We’ve been going through this routine for the past eight months while I’ve been waiting for a new heart from some unfortunate soul whose life has ended so that I may continue mine. I don’t know if it’s morbid or predatory or hopeful; but I watch the news for fatalities; accidental, homicidal, suicidal, whatever, hoping that someone’s tragedy will be my blessing. I’m not wishing for someone to die but I understand that it is part of living except if it’s preventable and in my case it is. I just need a healthy heart from a type “O” person to continue my journey here on earth.
“OH MY GOD!” The nurse shrieked as we both gazed at the image projected by the cathode-ray tube not believing what we were witnessing; a building was on fire, a very tall building was on fire, because it was in a collision, a collision with a large passenger jet-liner. Huh? I quickly glanced at the calendar on the wall to make a mental note of the day, Tuesday the 11th. As we both were glued to the TV a second plane hit another building identical to the first. Buy now the entire hospital seemed to be in one synchronous state of shock as if this were more than just two mere accidents caused by human error. As the saga unfolded it was evident that the U.S. was under attack with numerous casualties of war. I couldn’t help but think of my condition and the prospect of a type “O” organ donor with a healthy heart, a victim of this attack, collateral damage as defined by the administrators of warfare.
(Three days later)…beep…beep…beep…”I’ve got good news for you!” My ears heard a shrill voice by the side of my bed as the thin framed doctor and the dutiful nurse slowly came into focus. “We have a heart for you!” she said with reserved enthusiasm. I’ve always dreamed of this day. I wanted more than anything to hear those words, the only thing I would not give was my first born even though he caused me so much pain at birth and in rearing; but because of his untimely death I had the will to live to see after his daughter my only grandchild and his brother my youngest son. I was determined not to leave before my time, even if just for the good of the kids. Alas God had answered my prayers His divine providence has shined on me once again despite the challenges of my own sins; but first I feel I must pray for the previous soul of my new heart.
“Oh lord I thank you for this opportunity at renewed life. I thank you for this gift that only you could see fit to provide. I pray that I continue to live a right life for you and the one who had this gift of life taken away. I pray that we can share in spirit your blessing”
“Ms. Wright…Ms. Wright…” as she broke me from my spiritual moment, “Ms. Wright I will need to have you sign these documents.” The doctor went on with her garish smile starting to wane. “You see there is a very special case with this particular heart.” But of course, I thought to myself. “This heart is from the recent accident on the 11th" she continued, “Apparently another flight aimed at the White House was diverted and crashed into an open field in Stony Creek Township near Shanksville and a heart survived.” “Oh how terrible!” I remarked somewhat disingenuous.” I will honor the life of that person and would like if at all possible to send my condolences to their family.” I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. “Well, Ms. Wright none of the passengers survived with any usable organs or any of the flight crew or the pilots...” the doctor said with a strange tone. So my mind went racing, if all the passengers died with no usable organs and all the flight attendants and even the pilots too… who was left? Was this truly a miracle of biblical proportion? “Excuse me Ms. Wright…” as the doctor broke me from my dream state again, “I will need your signature here to accept the heart from the hijacker of United Airlines flight 93.”
Note from the Author: The title was inspired by one of my favorite authors Ernest Hemingway. The story was inspired by a report that Israel had been harvesting organs of captured dead Palestinians (without the families consent) for its own citizens. The report raises so many questions, not just ethical questions but also motive and legal queries too. Is Israel’s choice to remove organs and then send the deficient bodies back to Palestine the ultimate shame of war or is the “ultimate shame” to allow preventable deaths of a nation’s citizenry to take place?
The victor is contained within the essay’s title but the fight is for the conscience souls of the world. The author suggests that the Creator has ultimate authority over His minion and He does, that is what the world needs to be reminded of. The only power that is greater than them is the power to choose. It is a fight between good and evil; God and devil for the power of your choice, which will ultimately lead to who will reclaim or claim your soul. You see, you were redeemed by the “lamb of God” but to lay person, what does that mean? Well, there was a time when sacrifices were the way to show reverence, obedience and worship to God. There is a humbleness in giving something in your possession away. But as the world grew and prospered there became an abundance of things; animals, harvests and material goods. God needed more of you not what you possessed; and so did the devil.
So God provided one last and final sacrifice. And the blood of that sacrifice was to wash away ALL sins, for ALL people, for ALL times but His requirement for this gift would cost you a fee that would render your soul; your life; your love and obedience to Him. The devil wants to take your will to do this from you. He wants you to choose what feels good to you or better put, what “tickles the flesh” because the body and the soul are fighting too. So you may ask did God create the devil?
Ezekiel 28:12-18
You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz, and emerald, chrysolite,
onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise,
and beryl. Your setting and mountings were
made of gold; on the day you were created
they were prepared. You were anointed as a
guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
You were blameless in your ways from
the day you were created till wickedness
was found in you. Through your widespread trade
You were filled with violence and you sinned…
Your heart became proud on account of
your beauty, and you corrupted wisdom because
of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth;
Just like you, God also gave Cherubs the power of choice and His most beautiful Angel became too prideful, corrupt with wisdom, lawless and violent. So God kicked Satan out of heaven. The cunning, clever, strong and beautiful Satan is still powerless over your will, your ability to choose between good and evil; your choice to accept God’s gift. He will never defeat God but he can defeat you by tempting you with the desires of your flesh. You don’t have to face him alone, God has provided you with an army and a battle plan; but He cannot make you choose. This is an epic conflict with everyone being accounted for, everyone will be tempted, no one will be spared; no one can abandon the power of choice, no one can resist the power of good and evil, no one escapes the field of combat. Your body will become a casualty of this spiritual warfare; but your soul will rise or descend with your choice between God and Satan.
In Rembrandt van Rijns' (1606-69) historic painting "the raising of the cross" c.1633 he has painted himself in the scene as Christ's executioner with his trademark artist beret. Not as a solider following orders from his commanding officer or as a lowly roman subject of Prefect Pontius Pilate assisting in the slow and painful execution called a crucifixion; but as someone in command of his own role literally at the "center" of this epic depiction.
It is a quiet piece that is voluminous. It tugs at the core of the Christian message. It is a role that one does not view him or herself in. It is for introspective thought, contemplation, reflection and even just mere appreciation of words, color and form...beautiful art...beautiful poetry.
'Tis not the Jews who crucified,
George Bush has been so instrumental in the advancement of African Americans to position's of power and influence.
Sincerely,
Bycha Buxton
It has its roots in tradition, history and religion (what a threesome); Christmas. Declared a federal holiday in 1870. The history of Christmas dates back over 4000
years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries
before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright
fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals(parades) with
floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday
feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early
Mesopotamians.
Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas.
But a "Jesus themed Christmas" in the 21st century should be more than the usual mundane christian songs and imagery. I'm talking about the gifts, meals and family gatherings. A ceremonial way (not too hoky) of giving, choosing and presenting Christmas (maybe this is not the most original idea, but bare with me for a few more paragraphs).
In the "spirit" of W.W.J.D.(What Would Jesus Do?) Would the Rabbi give a video game like "Grand Theft Auto" to an adolescent? Would he hold mistletoe over you and a stranger? Would he dress up like Santa Claus (no offense Santa) and let you take a picture on his lap while asking you if you've been naughty or nice?
I'm not condemning the traditions that have become as common and accepted in our 'brave new world' as cheese on fries and bacon on everything (Jesus didn't eat pork...but that's another subject). There just needs to be some reflection in everything we do that is associated with this "Christian" holiday. Even if you are not a Christian the man (Jesus) was extra-ordinary and recognizing his birth and contribution to this world should not be forgotten. Yes we all should assume a little "Jesus" in the way we think about others and project ourselves. Not taking the fun out of the holiday season but putting the "Christ" back in XMAS.
Bycha Buxton
The difference in Candidate # 5 and Client # 9 is as clear as Black and White. But the irony is what men are willing to pay for their egos to be stroke and stoked. The "Candidate" seeks power the "Client" sought the pleasure both men paid with a currency of trust.
# 5 exposed like a newborns bottom; naked, tender and helpless to the good doctors swift smack of an open palm.
These men are mere numbers in U.S. Federal Investigations, but moreover stains on the political landscape of the most exciting year in U.S. politics of a generation.
"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out." (Thomas Babington Macaulay)
But let not me be the one who has a plank in his eye, speak of the speck in the eyes of the Candidate and the Client for I have been both in retrospect. Seeking the power and the pleasure at times in the most unconventional ways. Violating my own "Constitution", under self-imposed moral reflection; as I measure ones own character. Although the Candidate (Jesse Jackson Jr.) has not been charged with any wrong doing only his ambition, guilty by association, led by hope and validated by the election of change. # 5 the weight of your legacy will crush you if don't choose to be plumb with integrity. # 9 (former Governor of New York) just pray that strumpet doesn't write a book about your bedroom manners.
This dysfunctional behavior breeds the disdain that the public has for politicians. The stench of corruption that good tax paying people would consider too egregious for reconciliation and too tendentious for consideration. Let this be a lesson for those seeking power or pleasure it can cost more than you can afford.
Bycha Buxton
There was once a man who, while walking
along a path, fell into a hole and
could not get out. The harder he tried
the deeper the hole got.
A doctor came along the path and the
man said, "Help me! I fell into this hole
and I can't get out." The doctor wrote out
a prescription with some advice and threw
it down into the hole and continued along
the path.
A priest came along and the man said,
"Please help me, I'm stuck in this hole."
The priest said some words and wrote out a
prayer and threw it down into the hole and
continued on.
Finally a friend came along the path and
the man said, "Please help me! I've fallen in
this hole and I can't get out no matter how
hard I try!"
The friend immediately jumped down
in the hole with him. The man said,
are you, crazy? Now we are both in this
hole together!" But the friend said, "Yes,
but I've been here before and I know the
way out."
Moral? It doesn't take experts to help you out of the hole you find yourself in. What it takes is someone who has been there before and knows the way out.
Clinton's faith is grounded in the Methodist beliefs she grew up with in Park Ridge, Illinois, a conservative Chicago suburb where she was active in her church's altar guild, Sunday school, and youth group. It was there, in 1961, that she met the Reverend Don Jones, a 30-year-old youth pastor; Jones, a friend of Clinton's to this day, told us he knows "more about Hillary Clinton's faith than anybody outside her family."
Under Jones' mentorship, Clinton learned about Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich—thinkers whom liberals consider their own, but whom young Hillary Rodham encountered as theological conservatives. The Niebuhr she studied was a cold warrior, dismissive of the progressive politics of his earlier writing. "He'd thought that once we were unionized, the kingdom of God would be ushered in," Jones explains. "But the effect of those two world wars and the violence that they produced shook his faith in liberal theology. He came to believe that the achievement of justice meant a clear understanding of the limitations of the human condition." Tillich, whose sermon on grace Clinton turned to during the Lewinsky scandal, today enjoys a following among conservatives for revising the social gospel—the notion that Christians are to improve humanity's lot here on earth by fighting poverty, inequality, and exploitation—to emphasize individual redemption instead of activism.
Niebuhr and Tillich's combination of aggressiveness in foreign affairs and limited domestic ambition naturally led Clinton toward the GOP. She was a Goldwater Girl who, under the tutelage of her high school history teacher Paul Carlson (whom Jones describes as "to the right of the John Birchers"), attended biweekly anticommunist meetings and later served as president of Wellesley's Young Republicans chapter. Out of step with the era's radicalism, Clinton wrote Jones from college, lamenting that her fellow students didn't believe that one could be "a mind conservative and a heart liberal." To Jones, this question indicated that Clinton shared Niebuhr's notion of Christians needing to have "a dark enough view of life that they can be realistic about what's possible."
Two decades later, while Bill was campaigning for president, Clinton picked up that theme once more, displaying a theological depth that conservative believers could appreciate. In an interview with the United Methodist Reporter, she expressed regret that her church had focused too much on social gospel concerns in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, "to the exclusion of personal faith and growth." The spirit, believe theological conservatives, matters more than the flesh. Clinton added that she was happy to see her liberal denomination becoming more salvation centered in the '90s.
When Clinton first came to Washington in 1993, one of her first steps was to join a Bible study group. For the next eight years, she regularly met with a Christian "cell" whose members included Susan Baker, wife of Bush consigliere James Baker; Joanne Kemp, wife of conservative icon Jack Kemp; Eileen Bakke, wife of Dennis Bakke, a leader in the anti-union Christian management movement; and Grace Nelson, the wife of Senator Bill Nelson, a conservative Florida Democrat.
The Fellowship's ideas are essentially a blend of Calvinism and Norman Vincent Peale, the 1960s preacher of positive thinking. It's a cheery faith in the "elect" chosen by a single voter—God—and a devotion to Romans 13:1: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers....The powers that be are ordained of God." Or, as Coe has put it, "we work with power where we can, build new power where we can't." Coe has been an intimate of every president since Ford, but he rarely imposes on chief executives, who see him as a slightly mystical but apolitical figure. Rather, Coe uses his access to the Oval Office as currency with lesser leaders. "If Doug Coe can get you some face time with the President of the United States," one official told the author of a Princeton study of the National Prayer Breakfast last year, "then you will take his call and seek his friendship. That's power."
"If you're going to do religion in public life," concurs Schenck, a Jewish convert to fundamentalist Christianity who's retained his sense of irony, Coe's friendship is a kind of "kosher...seal of approval."
The Fellowship's long-term goal is "a leadership led by God—leaders of all levels of society who direct projects as they are led by the spirit." According to the Fellowship's archives, the spirit has in the past led its members in Congress to increase U.S. support for the Duvalier regime in Haiti and the Park dictatorship in South Korea. The Fellowship's God-led men have also included General Suharto of Indonesia; Honduran general and death squad organizer Gustavo Alvarez Martinez; a Deutsche Bank official disgraced by financial ties to Hitler; and dictator Siad Barre of Somalia, plus a list of other generals and dictators. Clinton, says Schenck, has become a regular visitor to Coe's Arlington, Virginia, headquarters, a former convent where Coe provides members of Congress with sex-segregated housing and spiritual guidance.
Throughout her time at the White House, Clinton writes in Living History, she took solace from "daily scriptures" sent to her by her Fellowship prayer cell, along with Coe's assurances that she was right where God wanted her. (Clinton's sense of divine guidance has been noted by others: Bishop Richard Wilke, who presided over the United Methodist Church of Arkansas during her years in Little Rock, told us, "If I asked Hillary, 'What does the Lord want you to do?' she would say, 'I think I'm called by the Lord to be in public service at whatever level he wants me.'")
Source: MotherJones
Throughout recorded history ordinary people have been placed in extra-ordinary situations. These people have been called to lead, follow and even been sacrificed for “who” they serve; a selfless act of courage, fear and at times ignorance. The underlying principle is that they believe in some ‘thing’, this is “why” they serve. To serve does not mean to become a slave or a mindless puppet for which some authoritarian figure or invisible deity has control or influence of undue burden over you. It means that you can humble yourself to allow a cause, action or deed to be performed, tarried or conveyed.
To do the “will of God” is to start with a neutral heart, have no will of my own in regard to a given matter, seek guidance through the (Holy) Spirit with the Word combined, and take into account providential circumstances (George Müller 1805-1898). To do the “will of the people” (as stated in the Declaration of Independence) is to represent with the consent of "the people" and execute the concerns of "the people" to the best of your ability. The purest example of service is a soldier in an all volunteer army. He or she is willing to accept their mission regardless of circumstance and they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice with the hope that an idea based on principle will be realized even in their absence; this is blind faith in their fellow soldier and cause that the fight will continue.
Everyone is not going to be a servant. For many the idea of being “told what to do” hearkens of weakness and ineptness. But when you frame “service”; someone is for some reason incapable or unwilling of carrying out a task so it is you the “servant” who is now the “master” of the situation. This is not a concept easily digested, circular reasoning can continue to baffle a simple mind; but an open mind (it’s [the mind] like a parachute if you don’t open it won’t work) can see clearly that servitude is not only power, it is Christ-like (Christian).
My treatise here is to invigorate, revitalize or encourage those who are contemplating service (i.e. public, private or national), been chosen to serve or been relieved of serving. To know why you serve and who you serve will forge your character. It will strengthen your perseverance, focus your zeal and bestow the crown of humility upon you. To serve is to “love your neighbor as you love yourself”.
Your servant,
Bycha Buxton
buxtonbycha@aol.com
There is a small room with three pews, a podium, a stained glass mural of a dove descending from the light of the heavens. A small altar with a cross hung squarely above; next to the altar, a chair.
The room is not square or any recognizable geometric shape, not even the ceiling is flat.
It's a simple chapel on the ground floor of a three story building, with a door in the back corner, displaying three rectangular stained glass windows about the length of your arm and wide as your hand.
There is no need for sacrifice upon this altar, the lamb has already been given.
So in place atop, where would go a sacrifice sits a bouquet of flowers and something very interesting...a single
white telephone.
I wonder if I picked that telephone up would GOD be on the line? Or maybe HIS receptionist Angel?
HE has to be busy with the universe and all; maybe I'll just leave a message with Jesus and HE will review it on judgment day.
This telephone; this direct line...should I tell someone about it?
The room is so small the world couldn't fit in there; and just my problems alone would take a lifetime to work through.
Well I'm going to take a chance; a leap of faith, and dial HIM in...
Is there anything you'd like to say when HE gets on the line?...HE is listening...
Needing GOD right now,
Bycha Buxton
buxtonbycha@aol.com
