THUNDER AND LIGHTENING

We've been having a lot of rain here in the last couple of days, and it includes thunder and lightenings, which remind me how ignorant most folks seem to be about the declared facts of scripture concerning them. Thunder is not the reverberation of God bowling; or Henry Hudson and his crew, as noted in Rip Van Winkle. In Job we are told lightening is the echo of God's voice commanding the weather to be turned about, and the flash of lightening is actually the angelic messenger who is made a flame of fire, announcing within that flash... "here I am Lord doing that which you instructed me". Science teaches us that lightening does indeed flash from the ground upwards, and we can infer it is following the line traveled by the angel to meet the need at the destination giving all the glory back to the Source.

THE GRACE OF GOD

Whenever we run out of answers for the issues in our lives, then we cast our care upon Christ and receive His grace. The scriptures have a great deal to say on the matter, but we always seem to prefer those verses that give us practical things to do, rather than rest in Him. It is basic human nature. But, remember, "if you go around trying to establish your own righteousness, then you come out from being under the Grace of God".

JUST BROKE UP A DRUG DEAL ON MY STREET

Today was the first day I was finally able to drive my mini-van, Chrysler Town & Country, even a short distance since my Open Heart Surgery. The AC is not working for one problem, so I had to roll down the windows to compensate for the 82 degree heat, but I heard a strange sound on the passenger's side and that window would not role up again. When I looked closer I realized someone had tried to break into the van, probably while I was in the hospital. When I tried to take off the inside door panel, it was a complete mess, and even more obvious how hard they had tried. Since there was a thunder storm coming, and the crack of lightening was already nearby, I looked inside the house for some plastic and duct tape to cover the window. Reasonably satisfied with my handiwork, I went back inside to have dinner.

Later on after having watched The Bachelorette to learn just how foolish American dating rituals can become when viewed in an absurd consolidated and neologistical venue, I realized my van was not really secure. So I decided to go back outside and see what I could do, maybe pull the battery and put it into a safe place. When I opened the front door, I saw three teenage black males standing at the end of my van having a heated discussion. I waited a few moments to see if they were casing my van for later, but they didn't seem all that interested, so I went outside to confront them. "What's up players! Now you don't look all that bad." Then I explained to them about someone trying to jack my car and that I was just checking on anyone suspicious, so this was not a good place for them to be hanging out. They didn't seem in any hurry to move away, and they were clearly upset that I said they didn't look all that bad, but they were also in no hurry to confront me despite giving me some passive aggressive attitude. Just then another young man road up on a bicycle... the mule. There were eight more guys coming down the street, so I was standing right in the middle of a drug deal. The kid on the bicycle pulled the drugs out of his pocket to let them know he was holding, and seemed to be wondering what they were waiting on. He must have thought I looked like an acceptable part of the tableau, since I've been growing my hair and beard since my first heart attack back in February, and none of these kids knew what to do with or about my presence, like Jesus walking through crowds of people untouched. The other eight guys were crossing over onto the final two hundred feet down my block, when my three concomitants finally decided to wave off the mule and shortly walk away from me as their apoplexy wore off. Probably unwise, as police have told me before when I helped close two drug houses and ran all the foot traffic and prostitutes off what a City Council meeting referred to as The Corridor of Crime, I announced my renewed presence to this next generation of drug dealer wannabees, "You need to remember that this street belongs to me and Jesus, and I've already closed down two houses." The leader of the other eight young toughs started strutting forward, and loudly demanded, "What did he say?" I immediately wondered if God was going to give the strength of Samson to a guy who was still under doctor's orders not to lift anything more than five or ten pounds if I can help it. I was still quite aware of the ten inch scar and the sternum just below being held together with bailing wire for the next six month until it heals, as the surgeon said, like any other broken bone, although I still think he used a chain saw; and worse, I had left my Big Red Heart Shaped Pillow Inside the house, which I still usually carry in public so I don't get hurt when somebody bumps into me in a store, or better yet, helps them see me coming, That would have made the moment even more completely surreal for everyone involved. I definitely did not see myself throwing a punch, since it hurts to even do my stretching exercises in slow motion. But as I watched after the Three Amigos, not able to hear what they said, even the other eight compagneros turned around and walked away. They were kind of like the Indians, who never mess with the crazy man, who has been touched by the Great Spirit.

I went inside and retrieved my phone to call 911, once I realized they were all headed down the street to a specific house only a block and a half away. I came back out through the garage door so I could remain in the shadows as much as possible, but eventually as I spoke to the dispatcher I moved out to lean against my van to see what more details I might notice to offer. The next thing I know there are more kids headed in the direction of the party drug connection, girls as young as 15-16, and some older males. Everyone was on their cell phone talking, or texting others, and beginning to fill the street in front of the house. The crowd seemed to disappear inside and just then I saw the first police squad car come around the corner. What I wouldn't give for a new camera, since mine was broken a while back, after I took the other daylight pictures of a drug deal I called in, which was eventually busted. It's posted on my Facebook page. You all can feel free to raise me some money to get one with a telescopic lens and infrared night vision. So anyways after the police passed by the block, everyone started to come out in the yard and street again, and they sent a lookout down to the corner of my block. He was tall thin black male with short hair wearing a mostly red woven shirt. Walked away after a bit, but circled behind a house and came back out. Then an older black male maybe in his thirties, but hard to tell with a crackhead, came riding on a bike up from behind and stared hard at me before turning right at the next corner onto Jackson Street. Then I decided to go back into the shadows but told the dispatcher to send an officer to me. Two police cars eventually showed up and I retold the story for them, and they stopped some folks in the street and told me to go inside for my safety.

Sitting here writing, now at the end of my story, I'm aware that I got a few mosquito bites out there, but that's nothing, and almost unnoticeable, compared to the constant pain of the ten inch scar in the middle of my chest. The surgeon referred me for Pain management, but nobody will touch me until my Medicaid kicks in to the game, if ever, and they suggest out of pocket, but I spent my last cash to cover the rent for this last month, which is probably what makes my street so costly and dear to me, so I intend to continue using my pain to leverage my courage, until the next outcome.

Remember! This street belongs to me and Jesus.

MISSED THE OTHER NIGHT

HAVE TO CATCH UP LATER EVEN WITH A SIMPLE THOUGHT

TREE TRUNCATED

Do not let the thorny bush say to the King of the Cedars of Lebanon, "I want your daughter for my wife". If more guys knew and respected the truth of this scripture the world would be a much better place, and if the daughters realized and respected who they really are then there would be less divorce. he needs you more than you need him.

ANOTHER DAY

Another day almost slipped away unnoticed... "If a tree falls alone in the woods, does anyone hear?"

FRIDAY 2, June 24

Who jacked up my computer? Do I have a Virus? Did the provider fail? We'll see!

FRIDAY June 24

Computer is freaked out for second day but at least I will reserve the space today

ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK = ASK

I've always been amazed why it would not be more logical to say, "Seek, Knock, and then Ask". But I finally realized Jesus was trying to tell men to do the one thing they never do while traveling, "Ask for directions".

SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Whenever there is a breakdown or divergence in your life and you begin to wonder how to get there from here in your life, there is a simple answer... Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.

HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING

When the scripture says, "His mercies are new every morning", that means that no matter how bad we mess up the day before, God gives us another chance every morning, and deals with our issues in a new and adapted way to fit the circumstances. We didn't figure it out the day before, and so we try something new the next day, and He still adapts not only to our past failure but also to our present misadventure. We're always on the learning curve.

FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." Trying to solve the problem of faith is in itself an evidence of faith. Other than drawing this conclusion, this scripture drives me crazy every time I encounter and try to invoke it, as something which might be inherent in me, because there is really nothing there. The scripture says, "Hope doesn't have the thing hoped for, and so you have to hope against hope for the thing hoped for". So we have to become the enemy of hope because it stands in the way of obtaining to faith, but we are using the very thing we are fighting against in order to win. What's that all about? We try to quote the scripture as if it was something exalted and enobling, but it becomes degrading as long as we continue to hope and do not believe, and have nothing to show for all our hoping, but not doing anything else, except the thing we're supposed to believe, only it's not working, so why do we keep hoping. I really want to know where it says in scripture  exactly how long we need to wait before it becomes God's problem rather than ours. TO BE CONTINUED...

CALL UPON ME

If we will "draw nigh unto God", then we will eventually get close enough to call upon Him, and this is possible as an act of faith, if we believe his words, "Call upon me and I will hear you." Jesus said, "Father, I know that you hear me always, but I say this aloud for their sake that hear me." If we pray in secret He will reward us openly with knowing He hears us always, also; but we must remember to speak aloud for the benefit of others, as well.

DRAW NEAR UNTO ME

My thought for the day, my process and experience, are reflected in the words, "Draw nigh unto me, and I will draw nigh unto you". The creation needs to always remember the Creator as the source of all true felicite in life, and the companion, as "guide of my youth".

FATHER'S DAY

Too busy being nostalgic about my own Dad, and the flood of memories, to write much of anything now. Every father is a complete Hero, every single day he goes to work and pays the bills, whether he sometimes complains or not, as long as he never walks away. By the time we are mature enough to figure it out there is never enough time to appropriately thank him. Whenever I have a memory, I post it on the Wall of my heavenly blog. Instead of Facebook take some extra time to visit your Gracebook. "God's word is forever settled in the heavens", and your thanks is the best kind of graffiti on all those "mansions".

CRASH GO THE CHARIOTS

Just when you think nothing else can happen to keep you from the blog, there is a sudden power surge and my computer crashes. I spent the last few days trying to find someone to help me get it up and running. There was a little green light still on right next to the start switch, but no luck. I pulled the plug from the computer side of the line as I usually do, but still nothing. So I kept calling around for a rescuer. Then I was sitting there complacent after a couple of days, and suddenly had another thought. Why not disconnect the cable from the wall side? There was no logic to the idea, but I did it, and ... suddenly I was back in business. Go figure!

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE

There is actually one other thing on my mind today. It is the declaration in the passage of scripture from Ecclesiastes that "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor". If you are still single, then you need to give this instruction some serious consideration. Elsewhere, God tells us to both "glorify and enjoy Him, forever". And, until your life is being shared with someone else you are still limiting your full enjoyment of your life within his Creation. God created us male and female for that very reason. We are "coheirs of the grace of life".

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

Praise God! I found my way back down here two days in a row. Maybe I can finally get back in the swing of things, and find my center again for writing. At the moment I can't really think of a scripture to redirect me, but no sooner do I honestly confess my weakness then I am renewed in my spirit, and hear the answer. "There shall be a voice behind you in the way (you should be going), saying, This is the Way, (return and) walk in it, again." That's my best paraphrase of the KJV.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Greetings Beloved. For those of you who have actually been following this blog at all, or simply chance upon it now, and wonder why it looks as if I've been so terribly inconsistent, I hate to say that the problem is worse, or at least more embarrassing, than I care to admit, except to benefit you. If you ever decide to set up a blog on here, then make sure you know exactly what the protocol is to get into and out of it. Write things down in a safe and readily accessible place, which is not on your computer. It seemed simple enough, but I had created the problem in part for myself by having more than one blog and thinking I needed a different email source to access each of them. So then I found myself having to sign in and out of all these emails to access each of the different blogs. When I finally began to have a problem, I did the protocol exactly as I knew it, but it just didn't want to work for me. I kept trying it regularly, but no success. I've never been very good at the whole "HELP" system they provide, offering common problems and solutions, which probably works just fine, but perplexes me more than anything else. I was at a complete loss, until this morning. I did the same thing I thought I had always done, but this time it worked. Now I'm almost afraid to leave and be potentially locked out again. But now you know what's up, if you see another gap in my blogging. I wish you well with your own blogging experience; and remember, the most redemptive part of the experience is that this one is free. Blessings!