New Years Eve is Tommorrow
I'm not sure what I'll be doing but I am at least sure it will be anticlimactic.
Most New Year's are like that. My favorite NYE was not watching the ball drop
@ Times Square or eating pigs in a blanket at my parents house. My favorite was
recording a couple of songs on an old reel to reel 4 track recorder. It was great. It was
authentic, it was moody.
"We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives." - Tyler, Fight Club
I watched brave heart over the last couple of days. It's a three hour movie and took me a couple of days to finish it off. I left with two feelings. First and Primarily I thought about the real tangible war that William Wallace felt. His wife was Murdered and his life was oppressed by the anglish. There was a real visible enemy. I thought how easy was it to identify the enemy and identify the tyranny. In my War the enemy is hard to identify and the tyranny hard to correlate. Was it similiar, were people saying, "We're fine, there's no oppression." Maybe, but those he initially roused were certainly those who felt the oppression of a real enemy and tehy had the eyes to see every where in thier society that the enemy's oppression manifested; in poverty, in fear, in strangulation of creativity and in the lack of true freedom. Can I convince myself of a same war? Must I experience the pain of oppression to stand against oppression? Maybe.
The second thought was that Robert the Bruce is the hidden Hero of the story. Even though he makes some huge mistakes it sets his heart to fight. It sets his intention to stand against his natural inclination and the so called way of success. He falls, but is redeemed, he loses major battles but when he comes to, he turns the war.
I've betrayed and I've been disalutioned. I've feared and I've clamored. But redemption is at the door waiting for those who would no longer live with comfortable and begin to dream. Even if they die in thier dream and even if they never see the fruition of thier dream. When failure stops being a blockade but rather a stepping stone and fear and comfort are our enemys we can begin stepping out on the battlefield able to die at war on the outside, at peace where it counts.
Questions and thoughts from Africa. I am asking the question, how could a Nation be 80% Christian and have such severe poverty, Why are the majority of nice cars I see stamped with “World Vision” or “UN.” Why are the Women working while the men hangout in clusters playing pool or just shooting the breeze. Why is a Land so conducive to crop growth so agriculturally underdeveloped? Why are people out of water when I can see Lake Victoria from my Terrace (one of the biggest lakes in the world). Why does the electricity turn off in a neighborhood for 4 hours at a time?
I’m sure the specialists have answers for all of this but the stark contrast is why are there other international companies shipping their goods in to meet Africa’s immediate needs without recognizing the complete absence of real industrial substructure. Here is my idea. As a nation set up an embargo in where you would cease to receive products from major corporations until they helped your countries basic utilities, Power, Water, Sewer and Waste Removal. It would go something like this, “Dear Coke we are not selling anymore of Your damn product unless you help us build a Hydro-Electric Power Plant on the Nile.” There is a Coca-Cola Africa foundation I’m not trying to specifically bash Coke just making a point. (I love coke)
A house without a foundation is such a funny picture. One could have chandeliers and a beautiful coffee table but if there is no foundation the structure will be destroyed. Economic instability creates political instability. So if a people are economically unstable and dissatisfied they start pointing fingers, then you have coupes and rebellions and genocide.
From my perspective the economic aspect is not nearly s important as the moral foundation being built. Husbands having one wife, loving each other etc. Immediate pleasure is far more real and tangible than a hope of a strong society, You might as well just save your money and move to the States.
So there has to be a Church, it has to trumpet Kingdom morality and standards. It has to underlay a foundation of self government. But it is much harder to put a new foundation on an existing home than it is to start fresh. But you cant start fresh! Even though we are born into sin with hundreds of years of traditions that are self damaging there is still hope.
Hope is such stark contrast in a war torn nation. Children believing the can be Doctors and Lawyers, parents living for the next generation rather than for themselves young people with the look in their eye that says, "I'm here to change something and I'm not leaving until it happens," those are the embers we blow on. That is where change happens. Missions is essential even if it only comes along side and encourages what God has already established, (although small) a good and solid foundation.
The Kingdom of Heaven-
Jesus talks about it quite frequently. I had some thoughts on it. Specifically regarding the analogy of the mustard seed.
First seeds are very strange. They start out as little devices and grow into larger different looking devices and drop off the original device covered (usually) in some sort of Pod or fruit (seed carrier).
We a generally familiar with seeds so we infrequently if never step back and look and the magical powers inherent inside the seed. Imagine if I showed you a ball bearing and said, "This device I will plant in the ground and it will spring up in a few years and produce many more ball bearings. A magical ball bearing tree. You would think I was being silly or just acting like an ignoramus. This process of the natural seed is just as unique and incredible.
Think about how we build things in our society. We Cut down these large wooden devices and dig out other metally devices and nail the devices together and we have a house or a chair or a whatever. Our synthetic process of creation is in opposition to the natural process of creation.
I would love to take all day to divulge into the beauty of this mystery but alas time is of the essence.
Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God is like this mustard seed. It is littler than all the other seeds and grows larger than all the trees in the Garden. Again this is how Heaven works and how we're supposed to work.
Three things trees need. 1. Climate 2. Food (I will call this sun because trees need it for photosynthesis) 3. Water
1. If a tree is in the wrong climate it cannot grow. There is very clearly a lack of maple trees in Antarctica. It would look really cool if they were there but there not they can't grow there. In the same way there are prime climates for trees to grow in. If you move a tree from that climate 10 20 or 30 degrees in latitude you will have less and less of a tree ( a midget tree) and finally no tree at all as you leave the climate. Jesus is saying this is how the kingdom of heaven works.
Climate is the measurement of actual temperature in an area.
Here's the zinger. If you are not living in a climate conducive to your growth you will be stunted or just plain not make it. The climate we need for the kingdom of God to grow is faith. Just as rediculous as it is to believe in a ball bearing tree. We believe in a kingdom that is that outlandish. It does not make sense. Isaiah 55 God says my thoughts are higher than yours as the heaves are above the earth. Translation, "the way I do things aint gonna make sense."
As people that believe in a invisible God with invisible winged men flying all over the place doing invisible things, we must be in an atmosphere of faith.
2. If you don't have sunlight you will be a dirty moldy sick little tree. I mean if you don't have any sunlight you'll probly die. But if you get just enough to survive, but not enough to be healthy you'll smell. You'll be gross and slimy and make me want to vomit. I beleive that sunlight is representitive of the word of God. A famous scripture is psalm 119, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. If You don't have the word of God applied to your life you may be a living organism. But you'll be a dirty, smelly living organism. You probly wont bear much fruit and if you do it will most likly be rotten.
This is a beautifull illustration of people who do not understand the Grace of God. They once heard a message about it and now they thnk God is a gumball machine who doesn't give a crap about what they do. They stink. Jude says they're hidden reefs in your fellowship times destroying anything productive. Again they are slimy smelly believers.
3. Water. If my tree was in the right climate and had proper sunlight but no water, what would happen? What would happen is that it would get dry and brittle and sick and maybe barely survive from dew or humidity but it would be unhelathy and the fruit if even there would be dry and foul. Jesus said to the woman at the well if you knew who I was you'd ask for a drink and you'd never be thirsty again. The water is litterally our fellowship with Jesus. Our experience of Grace personified. I've heard it said that grace is not a concept it is Jesus. It is the divine exchange of his thoughts to us and our thoughts to him. It is unmerrited but without it we would be dry brittle hardlined crackly bible bashers.
We can have all the light in the world, all the revelation on the scripture and the ability to walk much of it out. But if we do not interact with the author if we do not drink from the eternal well of life we become angry bible Lawyers quick to point out fault and slow to love.
One stage is not worse than the other. All these stages are places we don't have to be. Again this is how the Kingdom of Heaven works. Jesus said it not me-
James Bond always seemed to be rich. I'm not sure how seeing as he worked a government job. It's strange he was always drinking martini's and wearing fitted suits and staying at the most luxurious of establishments. On top of that he had little stashes around cities that held a hundred grand in different denominations in case things went south. I'm not getting down on the guy but you don't see him chatting it up with his financial planner or dabbling in the stock market and he can't just win it all at the Casino Royal.
Money what a frustrating thing. It's like anybody can have it if all they do is chase it. But if all you do is chase it you can never spend it. Proverbs 23:3 riches are uncertain things they make themselves wings and fly away. I agree. I would like to be rich that way I would never have to ask for money but unfortunately that is not the case. I do have to ask for money, so if your reading this and asking yourself where are you going with this? Well, the answer in a round about way is; I'm going to Uganda and would like your support. Click on this link below to help me get to Uganda. www.davidengelhardt.net I will update you all as I'm over there-
Leon is a Baby, My baby specifically. He is at this juncture 7 months old and 19 lbs, a good size baby for his age.
I was on a trip last week and didn't get to see him for almost five days. I had an urge to see him. An underlying desire behind my thoughts and whatever else I was doing.
When I finally got home he was asleep so I snuck in his room past his organic monkey and our snoring Dog. I was hurting just to look at him.
Yesterday I was playing with him and making him laugh and I realized that he doesn't do anything for me. I mean in a Utilitarian way. He provides none of my needs physically emotionally or otherwise. He is not capable of fulfilling me based on any of his actions. He is not even able to even comprehend that I am a being that has needs. He eats and sleeps for the majority of his day. The other small parts of his day are being held, playing on the floor or playing on one of his baby machines. I was on my bed and he wanted to eat one of my wife's silk pillows, The kind you have on your bed but don't use, just there to look at. Leon thought it might be a good snack and provided him a few moments of entertainment. I was looking at him there and I could feel almost a tangible Love for him. He wasn't doing anything for me. He was chewing on a pillow. I was only providing his needs (in that case pillow feeding) we were not in a reciprocal relationship of give and take. I made no contract with him. There was not a pre-birth agreement that if he follows certain guidlines I will be good to him.
I can't help but Love him. I can't help it. He hates being kissed. He does not like to snuggle. If you hold him he will look at other stuff. If you play with him he will scratch your face off. If you put your finger in his mouth (one of his great desires) he will chomp down on it with uncanny vice-like strength. He produces all other kinds of Baby fluids from multiple orafaces that all need to be cleaned and creamed. He wakes up at night and stays awake during the hours of our most sacred sunday afternoon nap. He tries to rip our dogs ear off and .... and.....and. I can't help but Love him, think about him, protect him and be a stepping stone for him.
I think that's how Dad's are supposed to be.
Trying to publish my book. Anyone want to give me 20 large?
found some cool websites for the self publisher.
xulon.com
beacon.org
of course lulu.com
