A moment of Clarity

As I sit facing the west watching as the light beams from the setting sun dance in the glass of the giant picture window in front of me, I suddenly experience a moment of clarity. I look to the world around me and see the strings that hold it together being pulled this way and that. I see the other world, the unseen world, and how it influences this world and the next. The decisions of man are the decisions of another power that leads us to an end. I do not, however, see the end; for it is yet unknown. There are glimpses of it around us, writings in books, words on a page to describe wonderful and horrible events of the future and the past and the present. The world is clouded with bad judgement, darkened with fear of the inevitable end that our society as humans is coming to, and yet it is bright with the hope of things to come. For the end draws nie but it is not dark for all.

As the sun sinks on the horizon, colors very real and yet unimaginable fill the sky. Some clouds bleed, some are bruised, and some shine with glory. My thoughts wander. One day these clouds will divide and salvation will pour forth from them. Only, perhaps it will be the clouds behind me. Salvation for some and destruction for others.

My moment of clarity returns. Man seeks a leader that will unite them in harmony. Someone good and true that will bring peace to the Earth. Someone who does not seek to prosper himself and has an open heart and mind. Man seeks a savior. Unfortunately man looks for this in another human. And a human they shall have. He will live up to all expectations, save one. He will very much seek his own prosperity as well as that of the one he serves. He will lead man down a path to destruction, and he will smile the whole way. A savior came once and he was rejected for his lack of "humanity". He was supposed to lead a rebellion, to conquer the governments of the world and squash oppression for eternity. Instead he came with a message of love and faith. What good was that to a blood-thirsty world that seeks War to cure the pain of life. He had to pay for his lack of performance. Humans feel that someone needs to pay for their misfortune, someone should pay for what we have to go through to survive. One day, man will pay for his own lack of gratitude for what is given. Too much is never enough and repercussions are coming for those that serve Mammon and are plagued with greed and lust and faithlessness.

My moment of clarity wanes into a recollection of history. That savior that came and died...Yet he rose and left with a promise...Yes those clouds, or maybe the ones behind me will one day part and He will return followed by salvation and destruction. His death was sacrifice to show His love, He rose from that death as a conqueror and as a promise of what lies ahead for those that accept His sacrifice. Belief leads to acceptance, acceptance leads to love, love leads to faith, faith leads to change. Once belief is genuine, change is inevitable. The heart of He who gave Himself for us changes the heart of he who believes and accepts that sacrifice. For man will not and cannot change on his own. He may change what he does but not how he thinks and feels. Only one has the power to perform that kind of change...Jesus Christ!

The sun is gone deep into the horizon and darkness blankets the Earth around me. The air is cold and shadows lurk, waiting to fall on the unsuspecting. These shadows play tricks on the eyes and make one question reality. Darkness hides the masters of this world who are nocturnal and they thrive in the darkness of the unbelieving mind. This darkness is conquered by one thing, light. Faith is knowing that soon the son will return, followed by light, warmth, joy, and clarity.

Walk in the light and darkness has no sway over you. Faith does not make life easy, for faith is not easy. Faith in Jesus fills the heart with fulfillment and one will experience a spiritual relationship that is unlike any physical gratification that can be found on this planet or the next. Look around the world and see for yourself; see God's creation (flowers, birds, animals, the sunset, sunrise, the stars...)












and see man's (war, hatred, poverty, greed, crime...)

which is more beautiful?

"Come and See the Violence Inherent in the System"

Oppression is human nature. Of course that doesn't make it right, just inevitable. American history is plagued with oppression. The founding colonies were built by indentured servants that could be compared to the sweat shops of today; a lot of work for little to no pay. As American society grew, slaves were brought in to help build the nation. One cannot exactly blame the white man for creating African slaves; after all they merely purchased a commodity from a market created by African tribal leaders. Slavery is not unique to blacks, nor was it created by America. Human slavery has been around since the old Testament. Nearly every race on Earth has experienced slavery or some equal form of oppression. The natives to American soil were oppressed to the point of slaughter and segregation that exists today. Now believe me, I am not trying to justify slavery in the slightest; it is an abhorrent part of our history as the human race. I'm just saying that we can't go on blaming people for something their ancestors did. Much like a criminals family should not be required to apologize or pay for the actions of the criminal.

This aspect of human nature to oppress the next generation is learned, much like children that are raised by abusive parents are more likely to abuse their children. People abused by a government grow up to run a government that a abuses its citizens. On the other hand, this country has come a long way since the civil rights movement began. Our schools are integrated, there is no longer separate bathrooms or drinking fountains for different races, and every American citizen has the right to vote regardless of race or gender. Many of the obstacles that our ancestors faced and fought to overcome are gone in today's America.

Race has become the forefront of many discussions in this country because of Senator Barrack Obama and his association with the very opinionated Jeremiah Wright. Unless you live in a cave, this isn't news to you ; and if you live in a cave you probably aren't reading this blog. The media has run the statements by Mr. Wright and the follow up by Sen. Obama into the ground. But that is how the game of politics is played. Although some of us, including me, do not agree with Mr. Wright, we have to remember that he has the 1st amendment right to say what he feels. However, I would argue that the pulpit is not the place for such inflammatory rhetoric. As a Christian pastor Mr. Wright needs to remember that Jesus did not represent such hatred of our fellow man nor did he represent any form or racism or dissent between peoples of different nationalities. One should not be so quick to play the "Race Card". It should be played when the situation is obvious and it is warranted. But to try to trump every situation with it, detracts from its efficacy when discrimination is actually present. To borrow a quote from Dennis Miller "We don't want to become the boy who cried "Black"."

Government created by man is never perfect. There are always those that become power hungry and abuse their position. There are basically 4 options for those that don't like the "Inherent" problems in our society. They can jump up on their soap box every chance they get and rant and rave while making a fool of themselves. They can follow the example of Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King and try to make a difference. They are always free to leave the country and find out that our world isn't that bad; in fact I know from experience that this country is a far better place to live than many other countries in the world (at least for now, America isn't full of suicide bombers, our streets are free of IED's, and we aren't surrounded by foreign troops telling us what to do or where we can and can't go.) Or they can look around and see that the U.S. is a country full of diversity; no where in the world can you find every race, ethnic group, and religion in one place. No matter what your background, we are Americans; we are Family.