Help.

God helps

even His own enemies.


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Bless Him.

Bless him.

Keep him safe.

Stir his heart.

Free his love.

Let him live.

Bless his life.


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Wisdom.

The ancient Egyptians

believed

that the ibis

represented wisdom.

Because when

he tucks his head

under his wing

he makes the shape

of a heart.


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Sacred Ibis.

Over my path

the sacred ibis.


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Left of Center.

The position of the heart

in the body

is slightly left of center.


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Gay Angel.

Despite

what you

may say or think,

I am a

Gay Angel.


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Transcendent God.

God is all Light.
In Him there is no darkness.

God is all Life.
In Him there is no death.

God is all Love.
In Him there is no hatred.


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Celebrity Culture.

We are constantly bombarded with images and articles about celebrities.

As if we hang on every word and deed of these modern day idols.

You would do well to treat this tidal wave of information with discrimination.

Much of what we are being sold is of dubious value.
Some of it is outright destructive.

We were not put on this earth to live the vicarious lives of celebrities.

Many of these stars are dark and self-destructive.

This is not a model we should follow.

It makes for sensational headlines not personal growth.

So do not look to egotistical superstars for your lead.

A more positive example will be found among the humble good.


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Love!

Love!


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Baptism.

Can you be baptized

with the baptism

that I have been baptized with?

Can you endure

the suffering

that I have suffered?

Can you pray

the prayers

that I have prayed?

Can you make

the sacrifices

that I have sacrificed?

Can you give

the love

that I have given?


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Reach Out!

From the depths

of broken-hearted

pain,

in lonely

isolation,

rejected

but alive again.

Reach Out!


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The Nature Channel.

If you watch the nature channels on your T.V. you will think that nature, and therefore life, is about dog eat dog and copulating.

Little is made of faithfulness or nurture and there is seldom any mention of growth or abundance.

But life is so much more than this.

Giving and sacrificing and love are all aspects of the animal kingdom.

While humans have developed culture and invention and art.

But without religion we would not have developed the spiritual dimension of life.

Ideals like: non-violence, vegetarianism, charity, equality, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, peace, justice, and unconditional love would not have developed in our world.

The existence of these spiritual qualities is an argument for the existence of God.
Quite apart from the testimony of billions.

So; despite the divisions, the wars, the massacres, the torture; religion and God have made significant contributions to the welfare of humankind.  


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Love!

How long?

We cry out

Hate!

Life cries out to Life.

We cry out

Love!


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A Penny Each.

In the parable of the vineyard laborers the workers each receive a penny for their work no matter how long they have labored.

Perhaps the afterlife will be like this parable.

God punishes no one, so there can be no hell.

Perhaps there is also no special reward for obedience and service.

Perhaps everyone will be treated the same.

If God is understanding of my failings and forgiving of my transgressions then perhaps He is understanding and forgiving of everyone.

And we will receive a penny each.


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Security.

People who are aggressive and domineering are basically insecure.

Their fear of domination causes them to attack and dominate others.

This is the fight or flight impulse which is triggered when their underlying fear is stimulated.

The aggressive response is the fight impulse.

Truly secure people (which are rare) are gentle and loving.

They feel no need to defend themselves against others.

The ultimate example of this is Jesus.


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Saturn.

He enters again

to climb the mountain,

building up

his body's temple,

pumping up

his muscle mass,

aspiring to

the strength of God:

the archetypal Father.

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Beloved.

To heavenly heights

we all aspire.

For earthly love

we all desire.

In our heart of hearts

we find our savior:

To love God

and love our neighbor.


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Blind Guides.

"Listen, you that are deaf, and you that are blind look up and see!
Who is blind like my servant....?
Who is blind like my dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord?
He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear."  Isaiah 42:18-20 (NRSV)

Jesus called the Pharisees (the servants of God) "'blind guides of the blind.'" Matthew 15:14a (NRSV)

These quotations represent the situation in which we find that those in positions of religious authority (the servants of God) are blind.

They teach "'human precepts as doctrines.'"  Matthew 15:9b (NRSV)

This is the situation we find ourselves in today.
God's priests and ministers preach an imperial Christology which assumes absolute power while ignoring Jesus' teachings of unconditional love and forgiveness.

They use Machiavellian power plays to control the masses.

They water down the Gospel and uphold the status quo.

Blind guides!

How can the Church be saved?

You preach violence and hatred and resist all change.

Can you not see the Love of God?

Can you not hear the whispers?

Unless you wake from your dreadful sleep God's Church will die.

Listen!  Look up and see!

A new thing is coming from the Lord.

A new way of preaching that does not use violence or threat but God's abundant Love.

There is nothing to fear.

God will not punish you.

God punishes no one.

Throw off the yoke that you have placed around our necks.

And preach the Gospel of Love.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Psalm.

Blessed be the Lord God.

For He has rescued me from those who would enslave me to the power of death.

And He has saved me from those who would put me in hell.

Blessed be the Lord God.

His tender mercies endure forever.


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My Garden.

The sun,

filtered through

golden leaves,

illuminates

my garden.


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Logical Satanism.

If the purpose of life is to be harder and tougher than everyone else then Satanism is the logical religion.

Satanism teaches you to be the biggest, baddest beast in the jungle.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex of the world.

It also teaches that evil is power.
And darkness hides you.

So the world may see you as successful and rich but not see the evil that you do.

But this is not the purpose of life.

Life is about Love - developing a loving heart.

Try living without love and your philosophy will soon fail.

What profit is it to gain the whole world if you have not love?

And Love is the theater of God.


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The Market.

The market

was made for man

not man

for the market.


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Brihaspati.

After the council of the gods decided that Soma fought on the side of the demons his place was taken by Brihaspati.

Brihaspati is the god of prayer and devotion and wisdom.

He is called the guru of the gods.

And he leads to enlightenment.


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Soma.

Soma is the Hindu god who governs drugs.

In ancient India the gods held a council to decide whether Soma was on the side of the gods or the demons whose contest caused the churning of the Cosmic Sea of Milk.

The outcome of this council was the decision that Soma fought on the side of the demons.

And so it is.

Drugs do not lead to enlightenment but ot addiction and ruin.

As many a hippy has discovered.


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Apollo and Hyacinthus.

Mozart wrote his first opera Apollo and Hyacinthus at the age of 11.

It tells the story of the ill-fated love between the Sun God and the young Prince of Laconia.

Hyacinthus was killed when Zephyrus, the Wind God, blew Apollo's discus off course and it struck him.

The hyacinth flower sprung up where he fell.


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Healing Hearts.

God

can mend

a broken heart.

A heart

that gives

is healed

with Love.


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Contradictions.

When confronted with a contradiction like the one over gays and lesbians in the Church - i.e. passages in the Bible which seem harsh and violent conflicting with our understanding of Jesus' sympathy and forgiveness - we would do well to pray.

Having prayed every day for over 25 years since the beginning of the AIDS crisis I now realize that it is not God that is rejecting us but His servants - those who have hardened their hearts out of fear.

I have come to believe that where there is a conflict between the law and the heart preference must be given to the heart.

Ask yourself, "What does my heart say?"

God is not a rule maker who rewards and punishes us according to our behavior.

God is Love.
And He dwells in our hearts.

So we have triumphed when our love is greater than our fear.
  

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Awed By Her Splendor.

Awed by her splendor

stars near the lovely

moon cover their own

bright faces

when she

is roundest and lights

earth with her silver.

                          Sappho


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You Think You Can Tell.

So you think you can tell what is good from what is evil.

We thought we could tell also.

But we were wrong.

The rock music we listened to every day was saturated with subtle sabotage and evil.

Drugs, hedonism, excess, promiscuity, rebellion, and blasphemy.....all these things were hidden in the music.

Darkness hid them and we were blind.

The rock stars who created this music used the principles of Satanism and black magic in their art.  These things were cleverly disguised.  And we were oblivious to their treachery.

The desired result was that we would all go to hell.

But God has saved me.


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Performance.

All men desire mass,

an open heart

that's pumping love.

And in the gym

he plays Bach's Fugues

to boost

his real performance.


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Tears Melt the Heart.

Your heart was

hard as

manly muscle.

But tears

melted

your

heart of stone.


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