False Reality

These thoughts came about after lying in bed for 2 hours without being able to sleep. Here is a sample of what goes on in my head during those times. It will be useful for one to have a basic understanding of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' to read the following post... If Plato is right, and I believe to some extent he is, this world is but a shadow of reality. What we experience is a false mimicry of what is true. If this in itself is true then what Paul says in Philippians 1 makes complete and utter sense. “I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is better by far.” Who would rather die than live? Someone who knows that this life is not all there is to offer. Someone who knows that this life is in a state of brokenness that will not be mended fully until death or Christ's return. This desire should be that of every Christian, yet we desire what this world has to offer, even though what this world has is only a false mimicry of reality. I used to think 'I want to experience marriage before I die.' How foolish! Marriage in this world is imperfect and fallen. It is only a shadow of Christ's marriage to His bride, the Church. So in Heaven we experience true, pure marriage, unadulterated by sinful people, but lived out by the Sinless One and the Forgiven. I used to think, 'I want a family before I die.' What truer family could there be than being united with the Heavenly Father face to face? A father whose love surpasses anything fathomable here on earth. Then also we get to experience eternity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, a family so large that it would be near impossible to count. Some might want to see the world before they die. If this world holds as much beauty as it does with its lush rainforests, breathtaking scenery, massive mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and captivating sunsets, how much more would the true reality hold? These beauties being but a shadow of what is real, what mind blowing creation is there in the presence of the Holy One? Now, this is not to say we should seek death, that would be folly. Even Paul knows better, “It is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” We must stay here in order to advance the kingdom and guide others into the loving arms of Jesus. But we must not get caught up in this world, we must not get caught up in this life. We need to be Kingdom focused and know that there is something better, something greater in store, the true reality. The reality in which God dwells in, in my opinion, with our words could only be described as a physical form, but God's being is truly physical and what we perceive here on Earth as physical is but a false mimicry of that which is real. Now Jesus, I believe, has a physical form, yet his form is different than ours now. He has a heavenly, glorified body, one that is true form, ours being the false and fallen form. That said, in a sense, this life isn't real, what is real is God's country. We should live with this mindset. Much of what we face would seem more trivial. The kingdom would grow and we would live more selflessly... Just a thought.

Easter

It was the fruit of a tree that sin began,
It was death on a tree that caused the end
Of a separation that no one could mend
Except the Son of Man whom God did send.
God came to Earth clothed in humanity,
Lived to serve but some called insanity
To the words that he spoke, they were revolutionary,
They caused hearts to turn, they opened eyes to truly see
That God became man, and Jesus was He.
The Pharisees couldn't believe that this could be their messiah,
A humble man from Galilee, not a position any higher.
The life that Jesus lived is one we should exemplify,
The Gospel through our actions is how we can amplify
The name above all names for it is only because of His sacrifice
That we are able to live any of our lives.
For we were dead in our sins, not even able to breath,
Salvation was not an option, but Jesus went up on that tree,
Willingly He hung there, until He died for you and me.
You see, that cross was for us, that is what we deserve,
To hang there like a criminal, but salvation God did preserve
And He gives it freely to those who believe.
But even though Jesus died and there was no reprieve,
Death was not strong enough to hold Him to the grave,
In three days He came back to life, the road to salvation He paved.
The story of this weekend is the crux of our religion,
What we celebrate on Easter is the only path to get to heaven
Without it we're dead, no life, no freedom, no peace,
But with it, when God's gaze is upon us it's no longer our sin he sees
But His vision is full of Jesus, clean and spotless, no impurity,
Praise be to God that He allows us to share in His victory.
We have been freed from sin, free to love because He loves,
Free to serve because He served, free to live because HE LIVES!

My Dad's Retirement

I'm very proud to call, such a fine man my dad
I know the father you've been, is a gift that I've had
Your profession is not one of glamor, nor did it hold any fame
But it has been a profession, that I've been proud of all the same
I have always loved to say, that my father was a cop
It was something that my friends, could really never top
We never lived a flashy life, but you provided food and comfort
And when your kids stepped out of line, it was us you did exhort
A loving home, a healthy family, these are what we enjoyed
It was due to your selfless leading, these experiences were employed
You sit here tonight, with family and friends around
It's the eve of your retirement, and their support and love abound
You have worked so very hard, these past many years
You have now gotten to this place, and tonight there may be tears
But to me there lies a wonder, a wonder of your career
Much of it I'll never know, because your humility was sincere
I have never heard you brag, or boast at your success
I have only seen the benefits, on how your faithfulness has been blessed
You have always been a role model, whether in life, career, or deed
You raised your kids in love, and because of this we will succeed
You have been an officer of peace, and this is interesting to me
Because the bible speaks of peace, the Lord gives to those he set free
You my dad have been, a blessing from the Lord
You have helped give us a peaceful life, your family has been in accord
You're my pop, my dad, my father, my leader and my friend
To you this night we'll honor but, it's a new beginning, not the end.

Christmas to Me

Another Christmas has come and gone. I loved it... I always love it. I love it because I take the advice of the great sage philosopher, Charlie Brown, who said, “I won't let commercialism ruin my Christmas!” Of course the presents are nice and I love both the giving and receiving of them, however, Christmas is not about gifts. This is a wonderful lesson that my parents instilled in me and my siblings for years. We believed in Santa while growing up, and we received many gifts from my parents, but they never went overboard with them. We received well thought out gifts and it never meant the dollar sign behind it. I grew up in a very wealthy city. I have had friends who received a snowboard, snow gear, and a computer all in one christmas. Some of my friend's parents spent upwards of $1000 on each kid. My parents never came close to spending that. Did I ever feel left out or less cared for? I should say not! If anything my parents replaced the monetary value of a present with the invaluable gift of a loving and caring home, loving and caring parents, warmth and tradition, fun and comfort, closeness and family. But you see, these gifts have their root in the true meaning and spirit of christmas.

I watched many Christmas movies this year, five versions of A Christmas Carol, movies about Rudolf and Santa, and movies about unbelief and faith. It doesn't matter if it is a Christian film or not, the moral behind every Christmas film has to do with the true meaning of Christmas, the true reason for Christmas – Jesus. I don't care about the controversy behind Christmas actually having been a pagan holiday that the Christians borrowed, it doesn't negate the fact of why we celebrate it today. I don't care what day we celebrate Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge said it the best when he vowed “to keep Christmas all the days of the year.” Christmas isn't a single day, it is only a reminder for what happened one night over 2000 years ago. The day that God, the Lord of the universe, the All Powerful Creator, the Uncreated, made himself nothing. He inserted himself into His creation as part of His creation. The day that God entered the world, mortal. And why did He do this? So that He, the great Father, could make a way to have a relationship with His children who had fallen away from Him. He showed the greatest act of selflessness to repair His family. What does it take to believe in such a story? Faith. What does the repairing of the family promote amongst believers? Friendship. Now think about almost every moral in Christmas movies. Many movies do not say Jesus is the reason for Christmas, for me, I don't mind... Because every Christmas movie I watched screamed his name with the foundations He set when He came to this world. Love, Faith, Selflessness, Family, and Friends. To me, that is what Christmas is all about.

Fall Colors

As the summer fades to fall the trees burn with passion,
Their joy for the upcoming season burst forth in a firey blaze,
Vibrant flames of red, yellow, and orange adorn the quivering limbs,
Knowing they will soon be naked they put on their finest garment,
Their love for fall is proven by their beauty.

Holy Holy Holy

Can you imagine what that sight must be like? Angels at all times surrounding the God of the universe calling out “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” Can you see them? The beautiful, terrifying beings surrounding the One who can not be seen with earthly eyes lest they should die. Oh how envious I am standing here on Earth. Having such profound desire to be in that place of eternity to scream out “Holy Holy Holy” to the God who Loves. The only God who lives yet experienced death. My soul yearns for nothing more but to stand in His presence and exclaim His holiness along with the angelic creatures. How tireless must that job be. How could one do anything but cry out “Holy” in the presence of such magnificence? “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty!”

Words Escape Me

The jumbled mess of endless speech rattling about my head makes it quite difficult to put anything on paper. Sitting then with no outlet of communicative abilities, I feel, causes my brain to begin to quietly and ever so slowly wind down to a sputter. But where and how can release be found? In order to order the mess of speech the words must first be directed at something worthy of such attention and focus. But what? Not a What but a Who. Ah there is the answer. Whom shall the words be written about?