I have not blogged...

I have not blogged this week for I have been busy, busy drinking beer, working, gaining housing assistance, and busy just being who I am. I seem to have caught a cold. I have a scratchy throat and an inner ear infection. I am out of vitamin C tablets. I cannot think straight and have no business sharing this with you. I will post again when my head is clearer and I am not busy trying to survive in this economy. Peace.

The Word

By D. Lee Jennings

I

“All is but a thought in the mind of that from which we were created.”
D. Lee Jennings

“It’s a silly notion. We don’t know why We’d want to bother with it. We are all and We need nothing more. Why would We need to repent?”
“We believe it would be a joyous venture; joy and love is Our nature. Not only would it occupy Our purpose but, We believe a creative urge such as this should not be ignored.”
“So how shall it begin?”
“It shall begin with Our Word. So We shall say let it begin!”

The Word issued forth, it came to be in the eternal before even time or space were in existence, time and space. The very essence of concept; the Word itself became manifest in birthing the universe and within the offspring of the Word all was chaos.

“Behold the creation in all its wonder!”
“We behold this creation but all is chaos; for there is no definition of form and the chaos reigns in darkness. The darkness cannot remain; for there is no darkness within Us.”
“Then let Us give it form and separate the darkness apart by giving Our Word of light into this creation. By giving Our Word of light, We will give it life and it will begin to grow.”

So again the Word issued forth and the creation itself became a living thing, it began to grow. At this time the chaos coalesced into forms and the light separated itself from the darkness. The chaos became two, the light and the dark, the opposites, and light became form.

From the luminous form other forms began to coalesce; for it (form) grew, lived and died; there were many luminous forms within time and space and these forms grew, lived and died bringing forth new living things into the creation. These other living things had form and purpose and witnessed both the light and the darkness within time and space, time and space being the dark void between the luminous forms.
The darkness became void for form was given with the Word of light. In this void there was still chaos for it had not been given form; but it also was a living thing and grew. So there was enmity at the Word of light from the beginning.

“Now behold the creation with all its wonders!”
“We now behold the creation with all its wonders for We have given it life with Our Word of light and it grows and prospers throughout this time and space We have created.”
“We are the all; for We have created this with Our Word of light, but there is enmity. The darkness was created with Our Word of light. The darkness must be cast from Us for there is no darkness within Us, only within the creation.”
“Then it shall be so. The darkness shall be cast from Our midst and We shall become segmented just as Our creation.”

It came to pass in these earliest eons of the creation that the living things grew and prospered, bringing forth-new living things on the bodies between the luminous forms in the void. All these new living things witnessed the light and the darkness. They lived and died as all things in the universe do, but because of what they witnessed, the Word of light changed them and they began to segment themselves to emulate what they had witnessed in the dark and the light.
Each of these segments began to grow by segmenting themselves. By doing so, they themselves were creating new living things as colonies. These colonies began to grow and by doing so, these colonies of living things began to become new colonies of living things. Because each of these individual colonies also witnessed the dark and the light, the Word of light was within them and over time, these colonies also began to segment. Change upon change, one upon the other until within each of these colonies of segments they could grow no more unless another change was made. So again all the living things turned to the Word of light.

“See how Our creation desires to grow and prosper!”

“We see this but Our creation is now grown to the point it can no longer prosper! The living things on these bodies between the light and the darkness can no longer grow!”
“Then let Us give Our Word of separation so they can reproduce, for We are all! Our Word shall give them the power to reproduce and these colonies of living things shall become creatures, for they already are living things by the Word of light!”
“Then it shall be so. Let them be male and female creatures so that they may reproduce and flourish!”

It came to pass in these eons of the creation that all these colonies of living things became creatures and they flourished, grew, reproduced and died. By doing so, they became all manner of living creature; plant, animal, and otherwise, for the Word of light was within them. They reproduced and change upon change, time and again all these creatures lived and died just as all things in the universe do. All were in balance, predator and prey till one had risen above all others and found favor in the Word of light.
For this creature had grown to the point where it had become self-aware and knew one purpose of the Word of light; fire. With fire it could protect itself, it could warm itself, it could prepare and preserve food, it could create images from it’s own life and environment and it could have dominion over every other creature.

“See how this creature shines in the Word of light above all others!”
“We see how this one creature shines for it truly sees a purpose in the Word of light!”
“We shall give this creature a name; it shall be called MANKIND, for it is from our likeness we have created it! It shall live in dominion above all creatures on this one body of life floating between all the others in this vastness of out creation! But we must be true to our likeness, if we create here we must create throughout, for such is our purpose. All the vastness of our creation must have our purpose for no darkness is within us!”

And it came to pass that all creation grew, prospered and flourished though there was darkness also. As mankind began to grow, the creators gave this portion of life a choice for it had found favor; mankind could have knowledge or eternal life. For the creators knew that with knowledge mankind would forever quest for eternal life and with eternal life, mankind would forever quest for infinite knowledge.
This was quite a conundrum for the creators; for by giving choice, there were opposites, but there was no darkness within choice. There would only be darkness within choices made if mankind decided; because mankind had arisen from light, it followed logically that the choices made would be choices of the Word of light.
Mankind chose knowledge for knowledge is where the Word of light, in the form of fire, had been first perceived. In the eyes of man, knowledge was first and foremost above all things for with all knowledge, mankind would have dominion over not only all other creatures but also the universe itself and dominion over the universe would make mankind Creator. The knowledge of mankind now begins.

II

“Communication is the key. If everyone had all the answers to all the questions there would be no strife between anyone.”
D. Lee Jennings

Before writing was discovered, all history was oral, passed down from generation to generation. Writing took all things visual, aural and historical and recorded it. In this time communication of all the stories of old that came down by word of mouth were put into writing. It should be needless to say that, like a game, these stories over time became embellished and began to take on lives of their own. Some became morality tales, some became mythical some became supernatural, possibly they all did. Some of these will be related to you now.

Now that mankind had made the choice of knowledge, other understandings of the Word of light began to become clearer. The creatures (here afterward known as male and female) began to cover their bodies; not out of shame, but for protection. So they made for themselves clothing of animal skins and began to travel about learning and reproducing. In these eons there were many of them who dwelt there.

There were two brothers born to their parents; the firstborn (who was a tiller of the ground) and the second born (who was a shepherd). To the firstborn son it seemed his brother prospered more in trade; for he could trade the year ‘round; in such he gathered more wealth and material things and so the enmity of the void crept into his heart. The second born son felt only joy in his heart and he prospered. The first-born son rose up against the other and killed him, desirous of his wealth. The enmity of the void was witnessed by the Word of light.

“See how within this creature the enmity of the void has corrupted!”
“Then the Word of choice shall be given to All! Each of the All shall make the choice; then it shall be known within and among the All that We are divided. There shall be the One and the other; each to their own choice till the creation is ended, but in the end the All is the creation that the Word of light shall prevail! For there is no darkness within the All!”
“We shall say that the Word shall be known as I Am and the other shall be known as the darkness or void; void of the Word of light and void of the I Am; for there is no darkness within I Am!’
“It shall be Our choice!”

A division was made; I Am being the highest of the Word of light, the void being the lowest; for it had been separated from the Word. In these eons of time it came to pass that these divisions of the Word of light and the void began to communicate with the creatures of this plane of existence. For there was intrigue, romance, truth, lies, animal passions, worship, defiance, and many other manner of absurd things until a minute moment in these eons came when the I Am and the void came into direct contact. Those of light became angels and those of the void became demons.

Now in these eras of those who were beginning to understand, and this understanding of the Word of light began to be passed down, there became a beginning of worship; a returning of this knowledge or a respect (homage) paid to this knowledge (or origin) of the Word of light.

Fear and Persecution

Why do people - for the most - not want to talk about faith: that which is that makes them who and what they are; that which is the eternal, or in other words, the spirit or the soul which will spend an afterlife in either eternal damnation in hell or everlasting glory and bliss in heaven with God?

A good friend of mine told me it is because the subject is taboo. It causes too much conflict and strife between the parties involved. I had to agree. I have heard of a man who talked about the subject openly. He did not force his ideas upon anyone. People came to him freely to hear what he had to say about the Kingdom of God. The only time he preached on the subject is when he went to church, after the custom of his own culture. Even there he was chastised for telling what the people knew to be the truth. He was beaten and brutalized; eventually nailed to a cross and crucified to death.


It is human nature to fear pain, for pain can lead to death. I do not think any sane person really wants to die. Even Jesus did not want to die, but Jesus had a purpose. He knew he had to die for the transgressions against God by mankind. But as human beings knowing the truth of God it also becomes our purpose to speak the truth of God; if we do not then we are not fulfilling our purpose.

It is however more fearful to imagine the soul that perishes without God. In our culture, the Kingdom of God is not mentioned in these discussions; rather what doctrine you follow and the denomination to which you belong. Yet people do not seem to want to really discuss the blood washing of the soul unto salvation: by which no man will see or enter the Kingdom of God.

Although times have changed, and people are more civilized, the constant reminder of martyrdom and ostrasization still lurk in the hearts and memories of humanity, and some things are better left unsaid. With these views and fears it is no wonder people do not want to be
drawn into conversation about the soul and its salvation.

What do we fear in speaking about the souls’ salvation? What is lost in not speaking forth the truth?

A certain woman was devastated when her family looked her in the face and told her to “Take HER GOD and get the hell out of their lives!” Nothing could have hurt her more than them telling her “it’s your soul if it dies: it’s none of our affair; just GO Away!” She had no idea what she would do, where she would go, or what would be her end “Save God Himself.” What was even harder was no one who knew her believed that this was what transpired in her home, because she attended services regularly; and she and her husband sang in the church Choir for nine years. Several years later when her daughter invited her and her new fiancé to Thanksgiving dinner with three of her grandchildren, there was a stipulation attached to the invitation. “If you start talking about God you’ll have to leave, I don’t care if you come and visit me, just don’t talk about God or Jesus or any of that stuff because I don’t want to hear it.” I have no idea about you but for me not talking about God or the Christ, is like telling a baby not to cry, or a dog not to bark, both are unfruitful.

Was it intended to hurt her? I don’t think so, but how did it hurt the children to hear that woman say that to their Grandmother? This was a petty feeble excuse for keeping her from being a part of their lives. Praying for her daughter on this matter, after being promised she could come for the holidays was tough. Then to hear their mother utter those words must have been as devastating for them to hear as it was for her. Needless to say she did not go to the dinner because her fiancé felt that if God was not welcome, they were really not welcome either.

There is a cost to serving God, fear of the cost will hinder our service to Him and to others. I don’t know if she handled the situation correctly or allowed herself to merely be bullied by her daughter who may have had no plans of including her in their Holiday celebrations to start with, but I know in my heart, that God is still moving in their lives, whether anyone acknowledges it but her or not.

I knew a certain woman and throughout her walk with God, she had been beaten for His words sake, put in jail, had rocks thrown at her, been bitten, spit on, slapped, and excommunicated from churches, bible studies, community fellowship, as well as family reunions. What are we expecting will happen when we share salvation unto the soul with people? One man bit her ear for praying, but she still prays today. What was her cost and how so lightly considered? For fear of being left out of God’s Grace?

What happens to those who are excommunicated? Who then ministers to them, so that their faith does not fail them? Who visits them in the long dark night of their soul? Where are these who do speak and minister the truth? Are they in comfortable churches living quiet lives for fear of loss or what it will cost should any find out their true heart as well?

Jesus told us what would happen to us should we choose to follow Him. It’s all right there in that book we call the “Holy Bible”, in the New Testament section. (Mat 13:20,21) Paul of Tarsus tells us in his words how it will be quite clearly “Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer Persecution.” (2Ti 3:12) He did not say some, nor did he say one, he said all. If a person is not suffering some type of persecution, they are not being a true follower of Christ Jesus. There. I said it.

v No-one wants persecution, but we all want paradise with God.
v No-one wants to die, but it is a fact of life.
v How much persecution does the fellow on TV with the big smile suffer?
v Can any of us walk the walk as well as we talk the talk?

Ponder these thoughts as you live your daily lives and ask yourself these questions. I wonder at times whether or not I am worthy of God’s Grace. Probably not, but at least I try to make an effort to follow the ways of Christ Jesus. God knows I am not perfect, but I pray He sees my heart in truth. Amen?

The Ring

THE RING

by
D. Lee Jennings

I
The Ring is Found
Possibilities

The early morning seemed gray; the lingering of the night clouds had left dismal coverings. It was warm and humid; I didn’t need a jacket. Breezes hinted at the neighbor’s lilacs. The honeysuckle’s fragrances filled the air announcing spring. The other fragrances I could not identify, but were familiar to me, reminding me of the small pond where I sometimes went to contemplate the meaning of my life. I wondered at the time whether or not my life actually had any lasting meaning.
However, I found that my life did have meaning. I had hope. I had desire. I had an overwhelming need to be me; although at this time I was just cresting the tip of the whole of which I would later become. Some of the other kids may not have liked that; I was so bold, so flip. I don’t recall that I really cared. So I just let it go. Why should I spend any time worrying about what the other kids thought? I was too busy being a kid myself.
That thought burned its way into my brain as the sun began burning its way through the sunrise haze. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I started my daily trek to school. The wet grass soaked my sneakers as I walked that morning. I had been feeling a bit down and out, emotional that my luck would never change. Even more convinced now since my friend Mike had won our chess match a few nights before. As usual he had already begun gloating, seemingly having no consideration for my feelings at all.
But something different happened that morning. Something more than just hopping the mud puddles that lay in the imperfections of the sidewalk. I saw something… it was in the dirt by the curb, not far from the storm drain, as if the recent rains had brought it to the surface from some ancient realm. My curiosity had more than taken its toll on me as I veered my steps in the direction of the gutter. There in the residue of the previous night’s rain I saw it. Something shining… something gleaming that glittered as a small star in the night sky. It was a brilliant white gold ring emblazoned with the word ‘love’ and a luscious pearl in the ‘o’ which shone in the morning sun. Not a dime store ring, this was the real deal. It must be worth a bundle.
As I picked it up and shoved it in my pocket, that brilliant white gold ring with the adorable pearl had totally consumed my thoughts. It was real gold, not one of those electroplated pieces that anyone can get from a carnival as a prize. I knew the ring was real gold because I could see ‘14k’ stamped on the inside of the band. I realized at that time that the pearl must have been real too. It must have belonged to someone of affluence, who had had a lot of feeling for it. I shook off the shock of this a find like a mongrel would shake off water from a puddle and continued my walk to the school grounds, one-quarter block away.

II
The Ring Works its Stuff
The mystery

When I got to school, instead of thinking about or concentrating on my classes like I should have, I thought about the new addition that I had gained for my collection of stuff in a Mason jar. I had been picking up junk, trinkets, religious medallions, pins, buttons, beads, marbles, and heck; I can’t even say what else for what seemed like years to fill that green quart jar with the zinc lid.
The importance of the ring eluded me at the time. Sure, it was a nice trinket, another piece of clutter for the collection in my old Mason jar, but there was something else that I could not identify. It was a certain type of mystery that could only be explained through experience, through ownership of the ring.
I must have dozed or been consumed by my thoughts because what happened next shook me to my shoes.
“David!”
“Yes, Ma’am,” I replied as attentively as I could, snapping to attention in my seat despite having been paying no attention whatsoever to what my teacher had been saying.
“Could you tell the class the importance of the role that the Pony Express played in the history of our town?”
I fidgeted as I cleared my throat, lightly drumming my fingers on the desktop and looking around the room for help. It seemed all eyes were upon me, but from the class, no help was forthcoming. Suddenly… a thought came to me. I looked Mrs. Smith right in the eyes and said, “Well, Mrs. Smith, it seems to me from the home reading you gave us yesterday that San Francisco would have got their mail a lot later if it weren’t for the Pony Express.”
A thin smile pursed across her lips.
“That is a good point David, but it is not the point that I was trying to make.”
Again she grinned.
How had I been able to get away with that answer with just a slight smile? There was something strange going on here. I piped in just before she could state her point.
“Mrs. Smith, is it your point that without the Pony Express our town may have been forgotten to the pages of history and that Kansas City would have taken over as the major way station for the trade route west?”
Then her smile widened. Her eyes scanned the classroom.
“Would anyone like to reply to David’s statement?”
The classroom was quiet as the lunch bell rang and we were dismissed, what a relief.
I was astounded at the new things that had begun to transpire in my young life at the finding of this great gem in only a few short months. Was this ring magic? I had passed my social studies test and had not even opened my book the whole semester. Then I had received an ‘A’ in my spelling! I had never gotten more than a seventy-five percent in spelling exercises since the first grade! I was never an honor roll student!
The Turmoil
There were other things going on in my life at this time too. It seemed that every Sunday at church I had to listen to a sermon on virtue, or honesty, or the thief at Christ’s side on the cross. My heart was a mass of unanswered questions about life, honesty, truthfulness and my everlasting soul.
I carried the ring with me everywhere I went. It gave me a sense of power for some reason. Maybe it wasn’t the ring itself but just the fact that it was real gold! (It was real gold; not that fools stuff you read about in library books at school, real gold!)
It was the last session of that final quarter when the recess bell rang and we were all released to the playground like screaming banshees. I had been hoarding this thing like a secret lamp, almost afraid that some magical presence would burst out of it and grant my every selfish wish. My anxiety reached the point where I could no longer keep the secret to myself.
I showed the ring to my best friend Mike, and he was astounded. When I pulled the annulus from my pocket, his mouth fell open, his jaw dropped and his eyes became huge; like half-dollars. It should be needless to say that soon the whole playground was abuzz with the news of my find. He told her, she told him, and the story was passed around the school like some sick prank.
After recess it seemed every single student wanted to claim ownership of the little bauble and were approaching me for that very purpose. It didn’t matter that I had a ring or if I had even found one, not a single soul was able to describe to me where or when I might have found one.
Then, at about the time the classes were about to end for the day, Janet, one of my classmates came up to me.
“David I’ve heard that you found a ring on your way to school a while back.”
“Well I might have. You know how stories get started and grow into things beyond our control.” I replied.
She said “David this is very important to me. Did you or didn’t you find a ring?”
“Sure I found a ring. Why? Did you lose one?” I closely regarded her eyes and actions. “If you can make me believe that you lost it, and it’s the one in my pocket, then I’ll give it to you.” I said with a smile.
I didn’t really care if she could or not because I thought that she was cute anyway and the damn thing didn’t cost me anything. Besides, if I had lost something like that, I’d want it returned.
She then proceeded to tell me that, indeed, she had lost a ring, at about the same time that I had found my prize. She had been walking to school between the corner grocery two blocks away and the school grounds, when she had realized the ring was missing from her finger. Continuing her monologue she described in intricate detail every aspect of the ring itself and also gave a short history of how she had come to possess the ring herself.
Her mother, from a local jeweler, had purchased the ring soon after she had been born. It was a regular ring that anyone could buy, but it had been especially modified to hold the pearl within the mount in the ‘o’, at a hefty price. Since then the ring had been concealed; secreted away in a jewelry box until Janet’s twelfth birthday when it had been given to her as an heirloom to keep for her own daughter in some distant future.
I felt my heart sink to the depths of oblivion. This was her ring and I must return it or forever endure the guilt of a lie so bold. Reaching into my pocket I fingered the jewel whilst a jumble of thoughts raced through my mind. Should I give up my gem? Should I reveal this secret that I had so long tried to conceal? Should I just walk away and pretend that our conversation had never happened and drop this wretched thing into my Mason jar?

III
The Ring is Returned
Whoa!!!

I pulled the ring slowly from my pocket gripping it tightly in my palm. Her eyes followed my right hand as I slowly turned it upward toward her and unlocked my fingers to reveal what must have seemed a miracle to her, for tears welled up in her eyes and she began to cry. It was at that precise moment that I realized I was no longer the owner of the ring.
With my left hand I reached softly forward and grasped her right, tear soaked as it was, and pulling it toward me, with my right I placed it into her palm. A slight shudder ran through her shoulders as her eyes ventured slowly from the ring upward to my eyes.
“Thank you so very, very much… I, I don’t think you will ever know how much this means to me. If my mother were ever to find out that I had lost it… I don’t know what she’d do!” (I must admit that I blushed a bit when I heard that! My god without even knowing it I had rescued a damsel in distress. Will this not make a fine tale for me to tell some day?)

IV
Conclusion
The Enlightenment

Classes ended that year and the following years thundered on as they always do, but I do not think that she or I will ever forget the experience of the ring… or what it meant to either of us. We may not live happily ever after but I will carry the story of the ring to the end of my days, as I believe she will do also; an heirloom to pass on for generations to come.

Jokes

Here are a few posted by one of my facebook friends...

Bryan Whizzy Gunstone> Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, 'What do you think about all this Satan stuff?'The other boy replied, 'Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.'

I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first. "I'll have the strip steak, medium rare, please." He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?"" Nah, she can order for herself."

Judge: You are charged with throwing your mother-in-law out of your fourth-storey window.Defendant: I did it without thinking, your Honour.Judge: That's no excuse! Don't you see how dangerous it might have been for anyone passing at the time?

A young couple is on their honeymoon. After having great sex, he says, "Now you won't see me for a while." "We're on our honeymoon!" she exclaims. "Where the heck do YOU think you're going?" "Nowhere, sweetheart," he says. "Turn over."

You got any good quickies? Post away!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is good Friday. I don't know what is so good about it. I don't have to work, but I HAVE to work, if you know what I mean. The bills still come due and need to be paid even though I only make eight bucks an hour. It's a shame my college education didn't do much good, but I didn't really think it would. I mean I am glad I am semi-educated in several subjects, but that don't get jobs the way the economy is.

If Easter is all about the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, then what is all the bunny stuff for? Isn't Jesus for kids too?

They just didn't like the wine...

Because my job is so boring; I wear earplugs, a hardhat, steel toed shoes, and a jumpsuit, no radio allowed; my mind goes to many places during the day. Mostly I think about songs and various aspects of religion; such as speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit, why aren't Christians and Muslims more open minded, etc. . Over the last six months many of these musings have crossed my mind many times. This is one of the reasons I have started to blog. I would like to discuss ideas and thoughts with whoever would like to jump in with both feet, so to speak.

At this moment I am discussing the various aspects of world religions with my fiance.

She asked me why, at a Jewish wedding, they stomp and break the glass after the toast, or however they do it. I had to say I wasn't sure, but it was a symbolic gesture, of course, unless they just didn't like the wine. With a little research I'm sure I'll figure it out.