Someone out there has to be tired of living a lie. Tired of feeling empty, following hollow dreams that lead to other types of futility. You have to be fed up with the world and the way it mocks you and scoffs at you. The lies are right in front of our faces, and we just accept them like we're puppets, dancing and shuffling about with a hand up our back. You don't even know who's hand it is, but someone's prodding you along...
Each time you react in anger or cower in fear, that hand is grabbing hold and tossing you about. Everytime you have an argument and hide behind your pride, there's the puppetmaster, moving his fingers and making you do that dance. And you can't even see it, because you think the puppetmaster is you. You think that you're the one with the anger and the fear, yelling and screaming at anything that opposes you. And most of you will defend to the death your right to shout and curse and deliver your opinion upon others in such a way that causes division and separation. You want to be right. You're right and they're wrong.
I'm here to say that it isn't you, but it is that thief of life- your ego- that causes you to become lost to the Truth God has given us. God is the giver of love and not confusion, so these arguments are foolish to him. Your anger and pride is unwarranted. These things are false projections of the ego in an attempt to protect itself. It wants to preserve the illusion. Maybe you can refer to it as the devil or a demon. Either way, it destroys your life from the inside, controlling how you think, what you do and what you say.
There is still time to shift our present state of awareness from one that is fearful, to one that is of love. Jesus asked us to forgive as many times as it takes, no matter the circumstances. We must surrender our foolish thoughts and tendencies in order to enter the truth of love and understanding. We must leave behind the idea that all truth is relative as well, because that is nothing but a precursor to chaos. I tell you there is but one Truth, and it is the beauty of God through love and forgiveness. Surrender your heart to Him, so that He may heal you and so you may heal others.
May God bless you in your journey towards the Truth.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Beautiful Walk
The beauty of life is yours to behold.
On my daily walks I take time to notice everything around me, with reverance and love. With each step I take, there is peace and serenity. I have no problems in these moments. There is no fear. There is only love and the feeling of God all around and within me.
I have taken to the habit of using prayer beads as I walk, holding them in my hands and running my fingers across them, one by one. Slowly I turn them and feel the texture, and I am filled again with peace. It is not even happiness, or joy. Just something greater that I can only truly decribe as serenity. The beads are as a key is to a door: they help to open my heart to God so that I can receive his Word.
My pastor would call this "quiet time". I find the more time I take, the more I desire to be with Him. It seems that time is still in these moments, and I can only give thanks and atone for my sins. These moments are of love and truth, which is the only reality that exists for us. All other things are just lies and fantasies that mar God's instructions for our lives.
Take care to feel His presence daily.
On my daily walks I take time to notice everything around me, with reverance and love. With each step I take, there is peace and serenity. I have no problems in these moments. There is no fear. There is only love and the feeling of God all around and within me.
I have taken to the habit of using prayer beads as I walk, holding them in my hands and running my fingers across them, one by one. Slowly I turn them and feel the texture, and I am filled again with peace. It is not even happiness, or joy. Just something greater that I can only truly decribe as serenity. The beads are as a key is to a door: they help to open my heart to God so that I can receive his Word.
My pastor would call this "quiet time". I find the more time I take, the more I desire to be with Him. It seems that time is still in these moments, and I can only give thanks and atone for my sins. These moments are of love and truth, which is the only reality that exists for us. All other things are just lies and fantasies that mar God's instructions for our lives.
Take care to feel His presence daily.
Friday, August 12, 2011
REVOLVER Revisited
There’s no such thing as problems, Mr. Green. Only situations. – Avi
You only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent. – Mr. Green
The art is for me to feed pieces to you and make you believe you took those pieces…because you’re smarter and I’m dumber.
The more sophisticated the game, the more sophisticated the opponent.
Place your opponent in an arena you can control. The bigger the space, the easier the control. The more that can be controlled.
They either think the game can’t be that old, or it can’t be that big.
The opponent distracts the victim by getting him consumed with his own consumption.
You will always find a good opponent in the very last place you will ever look.
Use any means possible to induce head pain and engage the enemy.
Imagine that you are using a computer. You input commands in order to make the computer do what you want. You create words, play games and even watch movies. You use it as a tool to accomplish everyday tasks. It is just a means to an end.
Our brain is like this computer. We use it to perform tasks. We remember things and our memory serves to help us navigate this world. Whether the task is easy or difficult, we still use our brain to figure out things. It experiences things that we experience. It calculates the changes that we must make in order not to be hurt. The pleasure we feel is recorded. It rides with us. Like our best friend, it is always there with us.
But the brain is not us. The mind is not us. It can never be. It is just a tool, like the computer. It must be used for certain things, and then put away when it is not needed.
For instance, if you become angry at something, it is usually a reaction that has an origin in fear. You become angry because you think someone either meant to offend you or the action bothered you enough to cause you physical distress. Your mind puts up a defense to protect you. It wants to answer in anger, and often does. It wants to react. But if you ask the question, “Why am I angry?” the reaction then becomes a choice. You are then choosing to react to this issue: choosing to become angry or not. In the interest of personal peace, it is probably best to choose peace than anger.
Did you know you had a choice? Would you choose peace over anger? Your mind would have you think that you need to retaliate to hurt those that hurt you. Any perceived offense is a means for the mind to lash out and defend or protect, solidifying our dependence upon it. But the mind is not protecting you. It is protecting itself to keep itself in use. To feed the façade that it actually exists.
What I am trying to tell you is that YOUR MIND IS YOUR ENEMY because ALL YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE ALLOWED IT TO EXIST WITHIN THE FANTASY THAT IT IS YOU. You feed it each day. And each day it becomes stronger.
Learning to see what’s real and what is false is the next step. It is what some people would call enlightenment and the path to God. The knowing that those negative reactions are not truly you, will give you the power to part the veil and see the shame of the world.
Jake Green: "There is something about yourself that you don't know. Something that you will deny even exists, until it's too late to do anything about it. It's the only reason you get up in the morning. The only reason you suffer the shitty puss, the blood, the sweat and the tears. This is because you want people to know how good, attractive, generous, funny, wild and clever you really are. Fear or revere me, but please, think I'm special. We share an addiction. We're approval junkies. We're all in it for the slap on the back and the gold watch. The hip-hip-hoo-fuckin' rah. Look at the clever boy with the badge, polishing his trophy. Shine on you crazy diamond, because we're just monkeys wrapped in suits, begging for the approval of others."
You only get smarter by playing a smarter opponent. – Mr. Green
The art is for me to feed pieces to you and make you believe you took those pieces…because you’re smarter and I’m dumber.
The more sophisticated the game, the more sophisticated the opponent.
Place your opponent in an arena you can control. The bigger the space, the easier the control. The more that can be controlled.
They either think the game can’t be that old, or it can’t be that big.
The opponent distracts the victim by getting him consumed with his own consumption.
You will always find a good opponent in the very last place you will ever look.
Use any means possible to induce head pain and engage the enemy.
Imagine that you are using a computer. You input commands in order to make the computer do what you want. You create words, play games and even watch movies. You use it as a tool to accomplish everyday tasks. It is just a means to an end.
Our brain is like this computer. We use it to perform tasks. We remember things and our memory serves to help us navigate this world. Whether the task is easy or difficult, we still use our brain to figure out things. It experiences things that we experience. It calculates the changes that we must make in order not to be hurt. The pleasure we feel is recorded. It rides with us. Like our best friend, it is always there with us.
But the brain is not us. The mind is not us. It can never be. It is just a tool, like the computer. It must be used for certain things, and then put away when it is not needed.
For instance, if you become angry at something, it is usually a reaction that has an origin in fear. You become angry because you think someone either meant to offend you or the action bothered you enough to cause you physical distress. Your mind puts up a defense to protect you. It wants to answer in anger, and often does. It wants to react. But if you ask the question, “Why am I angry?” the reaction then becomes a choice. You are then choosing to react to this issue: choosing to become angry or not. In the interest of personal peace, it is probably best to choose peace than anger.
Did you know you had a choice? Would you choose peace over anger? Your mind would have you think that you need to retaliate to hurt those that hurt you. Any perceived offense is a means for the mind to lash out and defend or protect, solidifying our dependence upon it. But the mind is not protecting you. It is protecting itself to keep itself in use. To feed the façade that it actually exists.
What I am trying to tell you is that YOUR MIND IS YOUR ENEMY because ALL YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE ALLOWED IT TO EXIST WITHIN THE FANTASY THAT IT IS YOU. You feed it each day. And each day it becomes stronger.
Learning to see what’s real and what is false is the next step. It is what some people would call enlightenment and the path to God. The knowing that those negative reactions are not truly you, will give you the power to part the veil and see the shame of the world.
Jake Green: "There is something about yourself that you don't know. Something that you will deny even exists, until it's too late to do anything about it. It's the only reason you get up in the morning. The only reason you suffer the shitty puss, the blood, the sweat and the tears. This is because you want people to know how good, attractive, generous, funny, wild and clever you really are. Fear or revere me, but please, think I'm special. We share an addiction. We're approval junkies. We're all in it for the slap on the back and the gold watch. The hip-hip-hoo-fuckin' rah. Look at the clever boy with the badge, polishing his trophy. Shine on you crazy diamond, because we're just monkeys wrapped in suits, begging for the approval of others."
Monday, August 1, 2011
We May Fail, but God Does Not!
Psalm 73:25-26
A psalm of Asaph.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.(NIV)
Other than self, we have nothing but God to rely upon. We alone are responsible for what we do here, on Earth, so no one else can be held accountable once we have been saved by declaring Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
In this verse, we read that though our flesh and heart may fail, we must look to God to strengthen our hearts. Truly we are weak beings, given to lapses in judgement and other moral failings that lead to sin. We must be prayerful and attempt to lead better lives for our own sake. In this way God is glorified, for we serve Him first.
We do these things even as we don't know the outcome, for we have faith in what God will do in the future.
A psalm of Asaph.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.(NIV)
Other than self, we have nothing but God to rely upon. We alone are responsible for what we do here, on Earth, so no one else can be held accountable once we have been saved by declaring Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
In this verse, we read that though our flesh and heart may fail, we must look to God to strengthen our hearts. Truly we are weak beings, given to lapses in judgement and other moral failings that lead to sin. We must be prayerful and attempt to lead better lives for our own sake. In this way God is glorified, for we serve Him first.
We do these things even as we don't know the outcome, for we have faith in what God will do in the future.
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