Salvation.

Lay bare

the words

with which

demons

describe you.

Tempting

the tough guy,

seducing

your pride.

They hope to hell

that their labels

corrupt you:

Monster, enforcer,

animal, beast.....


Call down

from Heaven

God's blessings

upon you:

Angel, defender,

big-hearted lover.

Big softie, teddy-bear,

gentle giant, whale.....

These are the words

that deliver us

from evil.

These are the prayers

that will lead to

Salvation.


Photo Credit: Pinterest.

God Reigns.

                            

I was surprised when a friend of mine said to me that he constantly reminds himself that God Reigns.

God reigns?

Not in this world.

In this world the poor suffer, money talks, and power wins.

God comes last.

Jesus prayed: "' Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'"  Matthew 6:10 (NRSV)

So Jesus did not think that God reigned on Earth.

Perhaps my friend meant that God reigns in the universe - overall.

But we cannot control everything with our thoughts.

"'What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.'"  Luke 18:27 (NRSV)

"The Lord God helps me .....he who vindicates me is near; Who will contend with me?"  Isaiah 50:7,8 (NRSV)

If God is with you there is nothing evil can do to win.

But God does not use force or violence.

"'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'"'  Zechariah 4:6 (NRSV)

God is full of surprises.

He is unpredictable.

He is uncontrollable.

Blessed be the Lord God.


[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.]

Photo Credit: Lawrence OP Flickr via Compfight cc

The Third Way.

                            

Church tells you to abstain from sex and be clean.

Satanism in rock music tells you to indulge in sex and be dirty.

But there is a third way.

And that is to engage in sex in a moderate manner and maintain a positive attitude.

So between the extremes of abstinence and indulgence there is a middle path of healthy moderation.

Sex is not bad or dirty.

Sex is not a sin.

Sex is a natural part of life.

And we should accept it as such.


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Priscilla - Patron Saint of Gays.

                            

Priscilla was a woman of great faith who lived in Corinth, Greece.

She and her husband Aquilla were Jews who had been expelled from Rome by Claudius.

St. Paul stayed with them and worked as a tent maker.

Priscilla and her husband risked their lives to harbor Paul and showed great faith in the early Christian Church.

As we know Priscilla is also the name of the famous Queen of the Desert - a movie about three drag queens who travel across the Australian desert in a pink bus called Priscilla to a venue in Alice Springs.

So I think that Priscilla - which means worthy - would be a good Patron Saint for the gay community.


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Gay O.K.!

                            

It's O.K. to be gay!

God does not hate you.

You will go to Heaven when you die.

Religious bigots who push hate and hell do not know God.

They are wrong.

We are right.

Homosexuality is Love.

It's O.K. to be gay!


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Machines.

                                     

Since the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century machines have dominated commerce.

And the human beings who work these machines have become part of the machines.

Workers are no longer people but work units.

They are judged by their productivity alone.

This dehumanization of the workforce has had serious social repercussions.

William Blake called the machines Satanic.

But treating people like machines does not produce the best results.

They will resent it and deceive their masters.

Who will respond with threats and cuts.

But the workplace should not be a battlefield.

The workplace should be like a family.

Workers should feel valued and loved.

Then they will produce their best.


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Fear and Love.

                  

My thesis is that evil in our world is caused by fear.

And what is the antidote to fear?

Love.

Fear makes us attack.
Fear makes us hoard.

Fear makes us retaliate.
Fear makes us defend ourselves.

But love makes us forgive.
Love makes us pardon.

Love cares.

Love is compassionate.
Love is kind.

So if we are serious about lessening the evil in our world we must absorb evil and return love.

And this is precisely what Jesus taught.


Photo Credit: Brett Streutker Flickr via Compfight cc