Church.

Despite the fact that the Churches are not perfect and can in fact do a lot of harm there are several factors that I found extremely helpful to my spiritual development.

Firstly, the emphasis that the Church puts on addressing the needs of others is important.  We are encouraged to put others before ourselves.

Secondly, the Churches' support for charities, national and international, is helpful to our development.  We can contribute to charities and be more mindful of the poor and needy everywhere.

Thirdly, the practice of daily prayer that the Churches recommend is a vital part of a good relationship with God.

Finally, the expression of gratitude for the spiritual and practical assistance that has been given to us helps us to remain humble and honest.

Theses are some of the positive characteristics that are present in most Churches.

Photo Credit: Jésuites du Canada | Jesuits of Canada Flickr via Compfight cc (The image has been slightly modified.)

Mephisto.

The masters of the corporate world have joined forces with right-wing Satanists in the music and entertainment industries.

The numbers 13 and 666 and letters or words backwards or upside-down are worrying signs.

This evil liaison is hidden in the darkness. 

They all wear black.

And their intentions are evil.

They want to subjugate humanity under a 1000 year Reich ruled by the devil* himself.

And the devil claimed his soul.

(*If there were a devil.)

Photo Credit: boloji.com

Rain.

Rain represents the Tears of God.

Pouring down upon the sufferings of humanity.

And His Mercy extends to gay men and women.

Those persecuted for their gay sexuality.

God does not punish us.

Nor does He judge us.

God loves His gay sons and daughters.

And He welcomes us all into Heaven.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

The Divine Husbandman.

God is sometimes called The Divine Husbandman.

A husbandman is a farmer, a tiller of the soil.

At first I found this puzzling.

But after some thought I realized that God plants seeds in our minds and hearts.  And he tends them and watches them grow and blossom into beautiful flowers.

There are innumerable references to this process in the Bible.

Not only in the Old Testament but in the New Testament in particular.

Jesus was constantly referencing agricultural symbols.

So whether it be The Cedars of Lebanon or The Branch of Jesse, whether it be The Parable of the Sower, or The Joyful Harvest, the scriptures are full of farming metaphors.

And so it is appropriate to think of God as a patient Divine Husbandman.

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(Detail.)

Blaming God.

There will always be some people who will blame God for what is wrong with the world.

They blame God for all the things that are bad in their lives.

They blame God for sickness.

And they blame God for suffering.

Because He made it like this.

Some will even hate God for it.

And some will turn to the devil as a preferred option.

Satan seems more reasonable, even desirable to them.

They hate God's Church and they hate God's people.

They lie, kill, cheat, and destroy.

They are prominent in rock music and popular culture.

And they want to go to hell.

But they are sorely mistaken.

What is wrong with their lives is the result of the ignorant actions of human beings, usually motivated by fear. 

It is the darkness.

So turning to the dark side will only make things worse.

It is not God's Will that we suffer.

It is God's Will that we love one another.

And when there is love we are O.K..

Love is the universal panacea.

Love is the remedy for all that is wrong with our lives.

Even money and possessions will flow from love.

We will always have enough.

 

So don't blame God for what is wrong with the world.

God loves us.

And it is God's Will that we learn to love.

Photo Credit: sjrankin Flickr via Compfight cc

(The image has been slightly modified.)

Peace.

We pray for peace in our world.

Peace in Ukraine.

Peace between Palestine and Israel.

Peace in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Peace between China and America.

Peace between Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

Peace between Conservatives and Liberals everywhere.

May level heads prevail.

And may we have peace and safety in our world.

And goodwill between the nations.

Photo Credit: Max Braun Flickr via Compfight cc

(The image has been slightly modified.)