Live the Gospel

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
St. Francis of Assisi

OCAP

Something has been bugging me since Sunday. I have been making a point to not write about politics on my God Wall. I have political views, strong ones. But this is bugging me. Our Rector's homily on Sunday included advice to vote in the upcoming election keeping the poor and marginalized in mind. She said to check out an OCAP article that reviewed the local candidates. My issue is with OCAP. I can not support OCAP because of their violent anti police tactics. And, I don't understand how good people can over look that aspect of the organization when they support them. Think about it; what are they planning to do when they break through the riot police line? Talk peacefully with the politicians? They're anarchists, really. And, I'm sorry, but I can't support anybody or group with links to them. My loyalties lay with the law enforcement agencies, the rule of law, and the keeping of the peace and order.

Enemy

Fr. Gabriel said that relationship breakdowns, specifically not speaking to those who we have/had close relationships with, is a sign of demon activity. Others have said that as we draw closer to God, the attacks of the enemy grow stronger.

Monks Might Agree

"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them."
John Stuart Mill

Title Change

I've changed my blog's title. Since Facebook decided to delete my God Wall from my profile, and this blog is a continuation of the same, I will remand and call it my God wall (explanation is in my first blog post).

Religion

What about religion? "Well, religion does make a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has." 1 Timothy 6:6 (TEV) Note to the anti religious: St. Paul uses the word religion here, not spiritual, or spiritualism, or faith, or even I'm a Christian but I don't need to go to Church, religion.

Guidance

I hope and pray that God will guide me, always, as I write in this blog.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always acceptable in your sight LORD, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.

Another Irony

I was talking with an evangelical friend a while ago, who gave me trouble for saying that I didn't think that I needed to have a road to Damascus experience to be a Christan. He said that "words have power"; if I say it, I will make it happen (and not have a vision/healing/dream/manifestation/other miracle). Okay.

Skip ahead to the next conversation. Same guy, different day, he was accusing priests of using a spell to magically (I really hate the use of that word by evangelicals toward the Eucharist--I find it very insulting) turn bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, likening it to witchcraft. He insisted that words mean nothing, do nothing. They are, after all, just words.

But words have power....

Spiritual War

I was reading the 66th Psalm the other day, and I was reminded of the spiritual enemies we all have. Some will read the Psalm and see it as speaking of human enemies only, and the rebellious humans against God. St. Paul said that our fight was not against flesh and blood, but against rulers and spiritual powers. If we truly believe this, then we have to know that there is a real struggle, a real war going on, that most of us just don't see (or believe).

Monkey Thing Again

Why aren't there monkeys walking out of the woods talking? If you've been reading this blog, you know what I'm talking about with the monkey woods thing. Why do we pretend to not understand?

I was again reminded of this when something somebody said was misused. Ann Coulter is a conservative outhouse upsetter who liberals love to hate, (right or wrong, love her or hate her) and they (liberals) do hate her. But, to be fair, they (liberals) took something she said and ran with it. She said something like (I'm not going to look up the actual quote--but feel free to), in her ideal America everybody would be Christian and the Jews would be perfected. The liberals said her remarks showed that she was anti Semitic and believed the Jews to be subhuman. That's not what she meant. If Christ is THE way to salvation, then ideally we should want everybody to be Christian. If the Jews were God's chosen people, and their scriptures truly speak of Jesus as the Christ, and they rejected Him, then their religion is imperfect and unfinished (until they accept Christ). But none of this is politically correct anymore. And so, we bow to the god of political correctness.

Thank God

Thanks be to God!

Hermit

I sometimes think that I should have been a hermit. Just me, and my cabin, on an old rolling mountainside, with a garden, praying the daily office and working in the peace and quiet. Maybe I can give up people for Lent this year....

Bugs Me

You know what else really bugs me, that the YMCA hides the C like Kentucky Fried Chicken hides the F.

Resisting God

"The biggest obstacle to healing is the refusal to convert from practicing atheism to a life of faith, or from a life of sin to a life of grace."
Fr. Gabriele Amorth

Facebook

Facebook has finally done it; they've deleted my God wall. So, I'll be posting all my God wall stuff here only from now on. :(

Militant Atheists

I was reading the 11th Psalm yesterday morning, and the first few verses grabbed me. I take refuge in the LORD because I believe in Him. How can you tell me to flee? Those who are true of heart, believe in the LORD. The wicked shoot their arrows at them to break their faith. They try to destroy the foundation of their faith. What can the righteous do?

"In the Lord have I taken refuge; how then can you say to me, 'Fly away like a bird to the hilltop; For see how the wicked bend the bow and fit their arrows to the string, to shoot from ambush at the true of heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?'"
Psalms 11:1-3 (BAS)

Zoe

I was watching this show on archeology where these fellows were with their crusty old professor, and he couldn't pronounce this one girl's name. I think her name was Zoe. He kept calling her Zow'y. Anyway, he was talking about this one chamber in the pyramid where he had a spiritual feeling. I had two thoughts. One was that he may be being lead by a false god/spirit. The other thing was that I thought about Br. Bede's thin spot, a place where we are closer to the spiritual realm. Maybe this Egyptian holy place was a thin spot with the false ancient Egyptian gods.

Irony

I think it's ironic; who, two hundred years ago, would have thought a right wing party would become the champion of the liberty of freedom of religion?

Desert Fathers

Sometimes I really...really think the Desert Fathers had it right.

Prince of North America

The Bible sometimes speaks of Angels and spirits as princes. The “prince of this world” or the “prince of the air” etc…. I often think that the prince of North America is Asmodeus.