Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Conclusion
The previous quote and the following quote are both from the book of Job. Did you guess correctly? :::
* * * * * * * * * * * *
So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.
He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * end quote
* * * * * * * * * * * *
So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.
He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * end quote
Saturday, October 16, 2010
A Righteous Way of Life
A bit of poetic prose I found that made me take deep notes. This fine example of knighthood and Chivalric thinking was about a man considering his end and what he had done in his life. This excerpt seemed to me to sum up a perfectly righteous way of life. Can you figure out who said this and why? :::
* * * * *
"When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square. The young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet. The chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
The man who was dying blessed me. I made the widow's heart sing.
I put on righteousness as my clothing. Justice was my robe and my turban.
I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy. I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.
"I thought, 'I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.
"Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.
I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners. * * * * * end quote
* * * * *
"When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square. The young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet. The chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
The man who was dying blessed me. I made the widow's heart sing.
I put on righteousness as my clothing. Justice was my robe and my turban.
I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy. I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.
"I thought, 'I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand. My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches. My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.
"Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.
I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners. * * * * * end quote
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Command Presence
The Following is from withthecommand.com a news and information site for the emergency services community ::
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Command presence: Feeding your own self confidence
By Chief Ron Richards
Command presence is essentially presenting yourself as someone in authority, trusted and respected. This is partially done through the message conveyed by how you LOOK, how you CARRY YOURSELF, how you ACT, and how you SPEAK.
Remember, first impressions are a lasting one. Looking like an unmade bed is not the way to instill confidence. In order to look the part, dress professionally. Always wear a clean, pressed uniform. Look professional.... at least look like you know what you are doing.
Personal appearance is not something that starts when you walk into the fire station or appear on an incident. It starts well beyond that. How are you groomed? What does the car that you drove to the station look like? Has it been washed in the last year? It the back seat full of coffee cups and food wrappers? What about your desk? Is it orderly or does it look like a forty mile an hour wind just blew all your papers on the floor and the janitor picked them up and threw them on your desk?
Taking pride in your personal appearance and grooming not only projects a professional image to the public, but it also helps make you feel more confident. The response you get from the public when your appearance is that of a professional will also help you feel more confident. When you feel confident it will help you approach situations with a better mindset.
Body language
How you carry yourself portrays command presence or lack of it. Confidence is projected through your body language, and how you verbally deal with individuals and groups.
Walk with your head up, eyes alert, and your expression intent. You do not want to appear weak or vulnerable. You want to project the image of someone that knows why they are where they are, and who is trained and knows what they are doing.
Walk with intent. Don't shuffle your feet or use a "lazy" walk. Pick up your feet and move like you know where you are going, and that you have a purpose in going there.
You need to portray an "I am in charge of this situation" image. The key is to be outwardly confident - even if on the inside you are scared out of your wits. You want your body language to convey confidence.
Your speech is another aspect of command presence. More people than you think hear you speak. Besides your face to face communications, many hear you speak on the radio. If you have the "terror in the voice" scream going on the radio as you arrive on an incident saying, "Chief 47, assuming the Blaze Street command..."that will not instill a whole lot of confidence in your peers or subordinates. I've referred to this as the "Big-Eye" syndrome. That's when you see a big fire and your two eyes open so wide that they appear to be one gaping whole in your forehead and the high pitched, screaming voice just puts the icing on the cake instilling an image that you are scared $%&less!
A solemn but good example of command presence communications is listening to the communications between a commercial airlines pilot and an air traffic controller just seconds before a plane crash. That pilot knows what's in store but still portrays confidence until the bitter end.
What do people see you doing?
If someone was watching you to see if you were able to react if they did something, what would they think?
Do you walk around with your hands in your pockets?
Do you look at the ground all the time?
Do you sit and watch television or listen to the radio while on duty?
Do you look bored and inattentive? Practice being firm and not taking no for an answer without getting angry. Keeping your cool is also a big part of this.
It all boils down to how you present yourself. Do you "look the part"? Do you carry yourself with confidence?, Do you ACT the part? Do you speak the part? If you can, then you are developing Command Presence, which will make your job a LOT easier.
************************** end quote
So.
Look the part, Looks
Carry yourself with confidence, Demeanor
Act the part, Actions
Speak the part. Speech
COMMAND PRESENCE.
Good lessons for any young man to learn
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Command presence: Feeding your own self confidence
By Chief Ron Richards
Command presence is essentially presenting yourself as someone in authority, trusted and respected. This is partially done through the message conveyed by how you LOOK, how you CARRY YOURSELF, how you ACT, and how you SPEAK.
Remember, first impressions are a lasting one. Looking like an unmade bed is not the way to instill confidence. In order to look the part, dress professionally. Always wear a clean, pressed uniform. Look professional.... at least look like you know what you are doing.
Personal appearance is not something that starts when you walk into the fire station or appear on an incident. It starts well beyond that. How are you groomed? What does the car that you drove to the station look like? Has it been washed in the last year? It the back seat full of coffee cups and food wrappers? What about your desk? Is it orderly or does it look like a forty mile an hour wind just blew all your papers on the floor and the janitor picked them up and threw them on your desk?
Taking pride in your personal appearance and grooming not only projects a professional image to the public, but it also helps make you feel more confident. The response you get from the public when your appearance is that of a professional will also help you feel more confident. When you feel confident it will help you approach situations with a better mindset.
Body language
How you carry yourself portrays command presence or lack of it. Confidence is projected through your body language, and how you verbally deal with individuals and groups.
Walk with your head up, eyes alert, and your expression intent. You do not want to appear weak or vulnerable. You want to project the image of someone that knows why they are where they are, and who is trained and knows what they are doing.
Walk with intent. Don't shuffle your feet or use a "lazy" walk. Pick up your feet and move like you know where you are going, and that you have a purpose in going there.
You need to portray an "I am in charge of this situation" image. The key is to be outwardly confident - even if on the inside you are scared out of your wits. You want your body language to convey confidence.
Your speech is another aspect of command presence. More people than you think hear you speak. Besides your face to face communications, many hear you speak on the radio. If you have the "terror in the voice" scream going on the radio as you arrive on an incident saying, "Chief 47, assuming the Blaze Street command..."that will not instill a whole lot of confidence in your peers or subordinates. I've referred to this as the "Big-Eye" syndrome. That's when you see a big fire and your two eyes open so wide that they appear to be one gaping whole in your forehead and the high pitched, screaming voice just puts the icing on the cake instilling an image that you are scared $%&less!
A solemn but good example of command presence communications is listening to the communications between a commercial airlines pilot and an air traffic controller just seconds before a plane crash. That pilot knows what's in store but still portrays confidence until the bitter end.
What do people see you doing?
If someone was watching you to see if you were able to react if they did something, what would they think?
Do you walk around with your hands in your pockets?
Do you look at the ground all the time?
Do you sit and watch television or listen to the radio while on duty?
Do you look bored and inattentive? Practice being firm and not taking no for an answer without getting angry. Keeping your cool is also a big part of this.
It all boils down to how you present yourself. Do you "look the part"? Do you carry yourself with confidence?, Do you ACT the part? Do you speak the part? If you can, then you are developing Command Presence, which will make your job a LOT easier.
************************** end quote
So.
Look the part, Looks
Carry yourself with confidence, Demeanor
Act the part, Actions
Speak the part. Speech
COMMAND PRESENCE.
Good lessons for any young man to learn
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Promoting Chivalry for TODAY
In his enthusiastic foreword to Robert Lewis's book, Raising a Modern-Day Knight, Stu Weber writes:
"Our culture is in deep trouble, and at the heart of its trouble is its loss of a vision for manhood. If it's difficult for you and me as adult males to maintain our masculine balance in this gender-neutral' culture, imagine what it must be like for our sons, who are growing up in an increasingly feminized world."
We must supply our young men with healthy, noble visions of manhood, and the vision of the knight, is without equal. In the knight we find a conception of manhood that can lift, inspire, and challenge our young men to new heights of achievement and nobility.
This is why I am laying plans to establish an Academy of Knighthood and Chivalry and will be challenging unsung knights around Oregon and the rest of the country to do the same.
Join me.
Contact me at wendell.archer@gmail.com.
"Our culture is in deep trouble, and at the heart of its trouble is its loss of a vision for manhood. If it's difficult for you and me as adult males to maintain our masculine balance in this gender-neutral' culture, imagine what it must be like for our sons, who are growing up in an increasingly feminized world."
We must supply our young men with healthy, noble visions of manhood, and the vision of the knight, is without equal. In the knight we find a conception of manhood that can lift, inspire, and challenge our young men to new heights of achievement and nobility.
This is why I am laying plans to establish an Academy of Knighthood and Chivalry and will be challenging unsung knights around Oregon and the rest of the country to do the same.
Join me.
Contact me at wendell.archer@gmail.com.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Patience
I feel like I'm doing time. I count the days from payday to payday. And this month (Oct) is the time to pay my final payment on the Hub Motor I've been purchasing ..... OR ..... Buy a used tricycle (supposedly recumbent and $2k new) for a mere $150.
But the connection to the tricycle did not happen as planned so I've decided to go ahead and send in the last payment on the motor,
Next month I'll get the trike. After that comes batteries and the solar panels.
Slow is the process.
Patience is the watchword.
But the connection to the tricycle did not happen as planned so I've decided to go ahead and send in the last payment on the motor,
Next month I'll get the trike. After that comes batteries and the solar panels.
Slow is the process.
Patience is the watchword.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
September 7 and still I wait patiently.
Have I said it before?
Life is a Beach... and I live below the high tide mark.
It seems like troubles just regularly roll over me. One after another.
Time passes as I patiently wait for results and milestones and income.
Time will try your patience.
Life is a Beach... and I live below the high tide mark.
It seems like troubles just regularly roll over me. One after another.
Time passes as I patiently wait for results and milestones and income.
Time will try your patience.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Life is a Beach
Well here it is July 31 and I'm way behind in actualizing my plan to build the trike and trailer. Money is demanded from all angles and never goes far enough. Expenses do rise to meet income. Oh, well, tighten the belt and redouble the effort. I'll get there yet, if the Lord is willing.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Innocentive Challenge solution
I signed up with Innocentive.com to try to win an award for a solution to a problem. The challenge "Transforming Parental Engagement In The Way Young People Learn."
My simple suggestion is to encourage Men and Women to become modern day Knights and Ladies and then to mentor their sons and daughters in the ways of Chivalry. The website http://www.chivalrynow.net/ is a forum of serious men and women who discuss Chivalry and lend moral support to one another. The following is an excerpt from the website about the book written by D. Joseph Jacques:
Chivalry-Now, The Code of Male Ethics is a book that attempts to recover an important aspect of Western Civilization that has been lost.
Chivalry itself was a code of behavior of the knightly class during the Middle Ages. It was originally based on the warrior ethic of loyalty to one's lord or leader. It gradually developed to include other virtues as well, including honesty, humility, justice, defending the weak, serving women, and courtesy. Although most knights only loosely adhered to these ethics, chivalry remained as an inspirational ideal that contributed to the Western idea of being a gentleman.
The author's premise is that chivalry encapsulated the Western idea of manhood. If it had properly evolved into modern times, many of the social problems we suffer from today would be less significant. There would be fewer men in jail, fewer abused women, less corporate crime, and more politicians we could trust.
Male development needs a cultural guide that describes what it means to be a man. Without such a guide, it is difficult to find purpose and meaning in life. Male energy becomes misdirected, unappreciated and often stagnates into a wasted life.
To remedy this situation, this book takes the original tenets of chivalry and updates them to be applicable to today's world. Included in this work is a viable description of attainable romantic love, and a discussion of the spiritual side of chivalry, questing for the Holy Grail that exists inside us all.
(The following is taken from the Introduction of Chivalry-Now, the Code of Male Ethics):
Introduction
Trapped in No Man's Land
What does it mean to be a man?
This is surely one of the most significant questions we face — and one of the least considered, reflecting a functional void in our mainstream culture.
Coming from a lengthy career in social services, I firmly believe that almost all our social, political and family problems flow directly from our inability to fill that void. Its influence effects us all, shaping how we relate to one another and how we treat the world around us.
This is not just a male issue. Its ramifications affect both genders, because all our lives are interconnected. In the words of Martin Luther King, "I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be."
This relates not only to matters of race but to gender as well. While positive examples of manhood can still be found here and there, they are deterred by a pervasive mindset that neither propagates nor recognizes it.
In America, we shy away from defining manhood as if the very subject were taboo. After a long history of unwarranted violence and discrimination, men are being taught from birth that they automatically carry an inheritance of guilt for past sins. We make sure that no male child slips by without taking his share. Each of us is expected to bear the guilt of our forefathers along with a personal stigma for simply being male. We are told in a thousand different ways, either in silence or in the commercial media, that there is something inherently wrong with being a man.
The intent is clear. We do not want today's men repeating the crimes of the past. The hope seems to be that by tearing us from any sense of cultural identity the world can move toward greater harmony. More guilt and less pride make for a calmer species. Women and minorities will be treated better. The demise of Western male dominance might even bring an end to war.
Such conclusions are dangerously simplistic. We cannot excise the cultural identity of half the population like a cancer and replace it with nothing. Doing so sends our entire cultural evolution into a tailspin, leaving a psychic void that can only lead to disaster.
The results are all around us — a population of boys and men searching for who they are and how they fit in. No road map, no gender specific guidelines, no rite-of-passage — not even an articulated goal. Finding no guidance at all, many turn to whatever distraction is available, be it entertainment, business, sports or narcotics. Or they just give up.
Movie heroes, mostly dysfunctional, yet always scripted to come out on top. Selfish, angry, violent, often brutal, they appeal to those whose real cultural identity is sadly unformed. At the same time, the entertainment industry pushes socially accepted limits with sexual innuendo, foul language, and in-your-face aggression. They often appeal to the angry animus of young men, who do not understand the fundamental source of their anguish.
Business icons rip off millions of people to further engorge their bulging coffers. Despite their inhumanity and complete lack of conscience, they represent what appears to be a successful male paradigm, where immoral and even criminal ends justify the means.
Professional athletes, sometimes referred to as "All-American" - as if they represented the very best that the U.S. has to offer. We hear about them on the nightly news, throwing tantrums, taking illegal body building or performance enhancing drugs, and being charged with rape. Advertisers portray them as ultimate images of manhood, despite their obvious shortcomings. And young people buy into that.
Politicians selling out to big business, contriving slurs and telling outright lies about their opponents, all for the accumulation of power.
Media journalists, once considered heroic bastions of truth, now prostituting their trade, focusing on the lowest common denominator of titillating gossip while foisting their own political bias on a public in desperate need for truth.
The results are apparent. Jails are overflowing. Wealthy businessmen violate the trust of innocent people. Politicians ignore the threat of pollution and global warming, even encouraging the populace to burn as much oil as they possibly can. Pornographers are treated as respectable businesspeople. Even religious leaders are now suspect, with thousands of charges of child molestations made against them and a Church dragging its feet in response.
This is the society that young people grow up in — a society without heroes, without myth, where virtues are so coupled with hypocrisy that they can no longer be held in esteem.
While many factors contribute to this, a central component is the degradation of what it means to be a man in relationship to the world. Men still carry a lot of power — but it is power that often lacks a viable moral compass.
The denial of cultural identity is akin to ripping out a person's conscience, taking away his name, firing him from his job, stealing his language, cutting him off from friends and family. Cultural identities, especially those of gender, need to be recognized for the role they play in people's lives. They need to be honored, but they also need to be honorable, while retaining a strong continuity with the past.
In short, they need to evolve.
Part of the problem stems from the growing rapidity of social change that started with the Industrial Revolution, when men traded their independence for the closed-in, repetitive conditions of the factory. Cut off from a respectful relationship with nature, they no longer performed work that varied with the seasons. They no longer worked side-by-side with their children to mentor them. This resulted in a cultural shock with on-going ramifications.
The development of technology has distracted us from this trauma by "making life easier," glossing over the broken status quo by adding benefits of convenience. Despite the continual advance of scientific and psychological progress (or maybe because of it?), we drift even further from knowing who we are in the depth of our being. We live in a sort of stasis, confused, frustrated, looking for something - without knowing what.
The purpose of this book is to remedy that situation. Our goal is to first recover and then reinstate a viable cultural identity for men.
The core of this Chivalric Program is summed up in the 12 Trusts.
Upon my honor
1) I will develop my life for the greater good.
2) I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth.
3) I will never boast but cherish humility instead.
4) I will speak the truth at all times, and forever keep my word.
5) I will defend those who cannot defend themselves.
6) I will honor and respect women, and avoid sexism in all its guises.
7) I will uphold justice by being fair to all.
8) I will be faithful in love and loyal in friendship.
9) I will abhor scandals and gossip - neither partake nor delight in them.
10) I will be generous to the poor and those who need help.
11) I will forgive when asked so that my own mistakes will be forgiven.
12) I will live my life with courtesy and honor from this day forward.
Fathers and Sons, Mothers and Daughters, deliberately mentoring in the ways of Chivalry is the best way for Families to find healings.
It should be noted that no particular religion is promoted and even agnostics and atheists will find warm welcome among those who aspire to authentic manhood and authentic womanhood.
Also note that Chivalry Now is not about dress up affairs (though that can be fun.) It is about self-improvement and the doing of deeds that are good and right to do to aid others.
My simple suggestion is to encourage Men and Women to become modern day Knights and Ladies and then to mentor their sons and daughters in the ways of Chivalry. The website http://www.chivalrynow.net/ is a forum of serious men and women who discuss Chivalry and lend moral support to one another. The following is an excerpt from the website about the book written by D. Joseph Jacques:
Chivalry-Now, The Code of Male Ethics is a book that attempts to recover an important aspect of Western Civilization that has been lost.
Chivalry itself was a code of behavior of the knightly class during the Middle Ages. It was originally based on the warrior ethic of loyalty to one's lord or leader. It gradually developed to include other virtues as well, including honesty, humility, justice, defending the weak, serving women, and courtesy. Although most knights only loosely adhered to these ethics, chivalry remained as an inspirational ideal that contributed to the Western idea of being a gentleman.
The author's premise is that chivalry encapsulated the Western idea of manhood. If it had properly evolved into modern times, many of the social problems we suffer from today would be less significant. There would be fewer men in jail, fewer abused women, less corporate crime, and more politicians we could trust.
Male development needs a cultural guide that describes what it means to be a man. Without such a guide, it is difficult to find purpose and meaning in life. Male energy becomes misdirected, unappreciated and often stagnates into a wasted life.
To remedy this situation, this book takes the original tenets of chivalry and updates them to be applicable to today's world. Included in this work is a viable description of attainable romantic love, and a discussion of the spiritual side of chivalry, questing for the Holy Grail that exists inside us all.
(The following is taken from the Introduction of Chivalry-Now, the Code of Male Ethics):
Introduction
Trapped in No Man's Land
What does it mean to be a man?
This is surely one of the most significant questions we face — and one of the least considered, reflecting a functional void in our mainstream culture.
Coming from a lengthy career in social services, I firmly believe that almost all our social, political and family problems flow directly from our inability to fill that void. Its influence effects us all, shaping how we relate to one another and how we treat the world around us.
This is not just a male issue. Its ramifications affect both genders, because all our lives are interconnected. In the words of Martin Luther King, "I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be."
This relates not only to matters of race but to gender as well. While positive examples of manhood can still be found here and there, they are deterred by a pervasive mindset that neither propagates nor recognizes it.
In America, we shy away from defining manhood as if the very subject were taboo. After a long history of unwarranted violence and discrimination, men are being taught from birth that they automatically carry an inheritance of guilt for past sins. We make sure that no male child slips by without taking his share. Each of us is expected to bear the guilt of our forefathers along with a personal stigma for simply being male. We are told in a thousand different ways, either in silence or in the commercial media, that there is something inherently wrong with being a man.
The intent is clear. We do not want today's men repeating the crimes of the past. The hope seems to be that by tearing us from any sense of cultural identity the world can move toward greater harmony. More guilt and less pride make for a calmer species. Women and minorities will be treated better. The demise of Western male dominance might even bring an end to war.
Such conclusions are dangerously simplistic. We cannot excise the cultural identity of half the population like a cancer and replace it with nothing. Doing so sends our entire cultural evolution into a tailspin, leaving a psychic void that can only lead to disaster.
The results are all around us — a population of boys and men searching for who they are and how they fit in. No road map, no gender specific guidelines, no rite-of-passage — not even an articulated goal. Finding no guidance at all, many turn to whatever distraction is available, be it entertainment, business, sports or narcotics. Or they just give up.
Movie heroes, mostly dysfunctional, yet always scripted to come out on top. Selfish, angry, violent, often brutal, they appeal to those whose real cultural identity is sadly unformed. At the same time, the entertainment industry pushes socially accepted limits with sexual innuendo, foul language, and in-your-face aggression. They often appeal to the angry animus of young men, who do not understand the fundamental source of their anguish.
Business icons rip off millions of people to further engorge their bulging coffers. Despite their inhumanity and complete lack of conscience, they represent what appears to be a successful male paradigm, where immoral and even criminal ends justify the means.
Professional athletes, sometimes referred to as "All-American" - as if they represented the very best that the U.S. has to offer. We hear about them on the nightly news, throwing tantrums, taking illegal body building or performance enhancing drugs, and being charged with rape. Advertisers portray them as ultimate images of manhood, despite their obvious shortcomings. And young people buy into that.
Politicians selling out to big business, contriving slurs and telling outright lies about their opponents, all for the accumulation of power.
Media journalists, once considered heroic bastions of truth, now prostituting their trade, focusing on the lowest common denominator of titillating gossip while foisting their own political bias on a public in desperate need for truth.
The results are apparent. Jails are overflowing. Wealthy businessmen violate the trust of innocent people. Politicians ignore the threat of pollution and global warming, even encouraging the populace to burn as much oil as they possibly can. Pornographers are treated as respectable businesspeople. Even religious leaders are now suspect, with thousands of charges of child molestations made against them and a Church dragging its feet in response.
This is the society that young people grow up in — a society without heroes, without myth, where virtues are so coupled with hypocrisy that they can no longer be held in esteem.
While many factors contribute to this, a central component is the degradation of what it means to be a man in relationship to the world. Men still carry a lot of power — but it is power that often lacks a viable moral compass.
The denial of cultural identity is akin to ripping out a person's conscience, taking away his name, firing him from his job, stealing his language, cutting him off from friends and family. Cultural identities, especially those of gender, need to be recognized for the role they play in people's lives. They need to be honored, but they also need to be honorable, while retaining a strong continuity with the past.
In short, they need to evolve.
Part of the problem stems from the growing rapidity of social change that started with the Industrial Revolution, when men traded their independence for the closed-in, repetitive conditions of the factory. Cut off from a respectful relationship with nature, they no longer performed work that varied with the seasons. They no longer worked side-by-side with their children to mentor them. This resulted in a cultural shock with on-going ramifications.
The development of technology has distracted us from this trauma by "making life easier," glossing over the broken status quo by adding benefits of convenience. Despite the continual advance of scientific and psychological progress (or maybe because of it?), we drift even further from knowing who we are in the depth of our being. We live in a sort of stasis, confused, frustrated, looking for something - without knowing what.
The purpose of this book is to remedy that situation. Our goal is to first recover and then reinstate a viable cultural identity for men.
The core of this Chivalric Program is summed up in the 12 Trusts.
Upon my honor
1) I will develop my life for the greater good.
2) I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth.
3) I will never boast but cherish humility instead.
4) I will speak the truth at all times, and forever keep my word.
5) I will defend those who cannot defend themselves.
6) I will honor and respect women, and avoid sexism in all its guises.
7) I will uphold justice by being fair to all.
8) I will be faithful in love and loyal in friendship.
9) I will abhor scandals and gossip - neither partake nor delight in them.
10) I will be generous to the poor and those who need help.
11) I will forgive when asked so that my own mistakes will be forgiven.
12) I will live my life with courtesy and honor from this day forward.
Fathers and Sons, Mothers and Daughters, deliberately mentoring in the ways of Chivalry is the best way for Families to find healings.
It should be noted that no particular religion is promoted and even agnostics and atheists will find warm welcome among those who aspire to authentic manhood and authentic womanhood.
Also note that Chivalry Now is not about dress up affairs (though that can be fun.) It is about self-improvement and the doing of deeds that are good and right to do to aid others.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Knucklehead
Heard some one say:
"If you're focused on doing things for others and making this world a better place in which to live, then you are doing great and living up to your potential.... otherwise you're just a knucklehead."
"If you're focused on doing things for others and making this world a better place in which to live, then you are doing great and living up to your potential.... otherwise you're just a knucklehead."
Father and Son, Dynamic Duo
Here's another clip from YouTube that was noted on the Chivalry-Now Forum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Quote to Remember
| The following is from Grail Knight of the forum Chivalry-Now: | |
| My Fellow Knights & Quest Companions, Many years ago now, when I was preparing for Knighthood, my mentor gave me this very important bit of advice: ......."When it comes to the 'Code of Chivalry,' it is all very well to discuss it, pray about it, debate it, or philosophize about it. However, until it is put into action (Deeds,) it remains nothing but a lot of high sounding but useless words. For Knighthood & Chivalry to have any meaning in the modern-world, our lofty ideals must be founded on 'Knightly & Chivalric Deeds.' For us Knights of Columbus, that means feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, take care of the sick. It means to defend, protect and support those who are in need, to the best of our ability. If we do not do these things, then our Knighthood is an empty and meaningless sham and our Code of Chivalry is just a 'Dusty, Rusty Relic' from a bygone age, which will be swept away into Eternity, to be forgotten." My "Knightly Mentor," who has been gone for some years now, gave me a lot to think about, when it came to my vocation of Knighthood. If I could pass on any advice to my Brothers & Sisters of The Quest, it would be this: "Just Do It!" Yes, by all means, we should teach Chivalry by our words - but more importantly, "By our Deeds!" St. Francis of Assisi, one of the great Saints in the Roman Catholic Church, once said this, "Yes, by all means, preach the Gospel.....and if you have to, use words." Arete' _________________ The Quest for The Holy Grail was never meant to be achieved, It was meant to be lived - now, today and forever. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | |
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
I'm Healed.
The hematoma in my left forearm was weird.. No bump or other trauma caused it. It just happened. The cure required opening up my forearm with two long incisions, scraping the corrupted and coagulated blood near the bone, then running a drain tube in one side, under the muscles, and out the other side. After a week of that in place, and a regimen of antibiotics, the tissue had closed enough to remove the drain tube. Another week and the wounds have almost completely closed up. I'll be left with a Nasty looking scar but my arm is as agile and strong as ever, so I'm grateful.
It all makes me conscious of my own mortality. Like, ..... I'm dying. Think about it. If I live to the ripe old age of 80, that means, since I am now 65, that I have 15 years left. ... But look again. ... 365 times 15 is 5475 days.
Look at that finite number.
Calculate your own days.
A young person of, say 20, has 60 years to age 80. But his days are 21,900. ... still a finite number.
What will we do with the days we have left to us?
Will we find faith in the earth? Or will we see a great falling away first? I don't know. I plan to trek across America in search of it in those I meet along the way. Lord willing, and I live long enough to do so, I will seek knights and Lords and invite them to the round table of Chivalry-Now. And my gentle mission among them is to bring to those who can receive it, the Word of Love, and the concept of the Holy CAPS (Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit)
It all makes me conscious of my own mortality. Like, ..... I'm dying. Think about it. If I live to the ripe old age of 80, that means, since I am now 65, that I have 15 years left. ... But look again. ... 365 times 15 is 5475 days.
Look at that finite number.
Calculate your own days.
A young person of, say 20, has 60 years to age 80. But his days are 21,900. ... still a finite number.
What will we do with the days we have left to us?
Will we find faith in the earth? Or will we see a great falling away first? I don't know. I plan to trek across America in search of it in those I meet along the way. Lord willing, and I live long enough to do so, I will seek knights and Lords and invite them to the round table of Chivalry-Now. And my gentle mission among them is to bring to those who can receive it, the Word of Love, and the concept of the Holy CAPS (Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit)
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Book ... "Chivalry-Now" by Dean Jacques
I've never written a book review before but since I just read Chivalry-Now by Dean Jacques I'll try to relate what I just read:
Chivalry-Now is an expounding of the principles of Chivalry as stated in the 12 Trusts. (which see). Each of the Trusts are facets of the heart of a knight and each aspect is thoroughly explained and made fully understandable. It is by internalizing these 12 Trusts in our lives that men and women will attain to full maturity of authentic adulthood. And it is by internalizing these Trust that we make them our own.
The author suggests, and I agree, that the challenge we face is nothing less than the transformation of our sick society by the transformation of one person at a time. And the reader is urged to be a part of the solution by living their lives according to the Chivalric Ideals.
By living our lives according to these ideals we attain the authenticity of true manhood we have sought in our lives.
I recommend this book to all who would aspire to True Manhood and the Chivalric Way of Knighthood.
D. Joseph Jacques, O-Books, Ropley, 2010, 194 pages, £11.99 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-84694-284-6
Chivalry-Now is an expounding of the principles of Chivalry as stated in the 12 Trusts. (which see). Each of the Trusts are facets of the heart of a knight and each aspect is thoroughly explained and made fully understandable. It is by internalizing these 12 Trusts in our lives that men and women will attain to full maturity of authentic adulthood. And it is by internalizing these Trust that we make them our own.
The author suggests, and I agree, that the challenge we face is nothing less than the transformation of our sick society by the transformation of one person at a time. And the reader is urged to be a part of the solution by living their lives according to the Chivalric Ideals.
By living our lives according to these ideals we attain the authenticity of true manhood we have sought in our lives.
I recommend this book to all who would aspire to True Manhood and the Chivalric Way of Knighthood.
D. Joseph Jacques, O-Books, Ropley, 2010, 194 pages, £11.99 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-84694-284-6
Friday, May 21, 2010
Freedom Through Faith
Here is an excerpt from Newt Gingrich' Newsletter (April 7, 2010 vol. 5, no. 14):
When Soviet dictator Josef Stalin famously asked "How many divisions has the Pope," he was of course referring to the fact that the head of the Roman Catholic Church commanded no armed forces and therefore could pose no challenge to the military power wielded by the Soviet Union.
But what Stalin did not anticipate was the election of a Polish Pope who would be in a position to go to the heart of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and provide his countrymen with unbounded hope and inspiration from the simple reminder, repeated everywhere, that God was sovereign, not the state.
George Weigel, biographer of John Paul II, describes it best: "During the Nine Days of June 1979, John Paul II gave back to his people their history, their culture, and their identity. In doing so, he gave Poles spiritual tools of resistance that Communism could not match." ... ... ...We learned about the significance of John Paul II's 1979 pilgrimage during a trip to Europe in 2008 when we were conducting interviews for our documentary, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. We traveled to Gdansk, Poland, to interview President Lech Walesa, and then to Prague to visit with President Vaclav Havel.
In both interviews, we asked about Pope John Paul II's role in bringing about the end of Communism. Both Presidents described the Holy Father's role as critical and agreed that his 1979 Pilgrimage to Poland was a decisive turning point in undermining Communism.
The more we learned about this historic nine-day pilgrimage, the more we realized that this was not just an incredible chapter of history; it was an extraordinary moment of human liberation, achieved through Pope John Paul II's worldwide message of freedom through faith.
When Soviet dictator Josef Stalin famously asked "How many divisions has the Pope," he was of course referring to the fact that the head of the Roman Catholic Church commanded no armed forces and therefore could pose no challenge to the military power wielded by the Soviet Union.
But what Stalin did not anticipate was the election of a Polish Pope who would be in a position to go to the heart of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and provide his countrymen with unbounded hope and inspiration from the simple reminder, repeated everywhere, that God was sovereign, not the state.
George Weigel, biographer of John Paul II, describes it best: "During the Nine Days of June 1979, John Paul II gave back to his people their history, their culture, and their identity. In doing so, he gave Poles spiritual tools of resistance that Communism could not match." ... ... ...We learned about the significance of John Paul II's 1979 pilgrimage during a trip to Europe in 2008 when we were conducting interviews for our documentary, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. We traveled to Gdansk, Poland, to interview President Lech Walesa, and then to Prague to visit with President Vaclav Havel.
In both interviews, we asked about Pope John Paul II's role in bringing about the end of Communism. Both Presidents described the Holy Father's role as critical and agreed that his 1979 Pilgrimage to Poland was a decisive turning point in undermining Communism.
The more we learned about this historic nine-day pilgrimage, the more we realized that this was not just an incredible chapter of history; it was an extraordinary moment of human liberation, achieved through Pope John Paul II's worldwide message of freedom through faith.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Oops
I've deleted the post for this day because the youtube link wasn't what I wanted. Sorry about that.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
My Motto
This I know:
I exist. I think, therefore I am.
My being, like all men and women, consists of a physical body, including a brain composed of grey matter, and a self aware mind, which seems to have a Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit. … Physical, Mental, and Spiritual are we.
And in my 65 years of life and 40 years of intensive searching and studying and learning, I have found a Key that has unlocked the mysteries we all long to look into and understand. The Key has become, for me, the key to self improvement and empowerment. It has given me the skill of a source-ist, the sight of a Seer, and the Power of a Prophet. And if you can receive it, the Key has opened the door to the next plane of existence, the place where the Creator intended for us in this life. This is a confession, not a boast.
This has set me apart from the majority who do not know of this Key to Life. It places me on a solitary path that occasionally brings me into contact with like minded individuals.
So close to it are so many, yet the key is rejected by most of them because they usually only hear a distorted blathering when the key gets mentioned in a “religious” context. No wonder, really. The Key will kill you. Not physically, of course, but literally and spiritually. And no one wants to die. On the contrary we usually go kicking and screaming and clinging to life to the last.
But at the same time, once so slain, the Key will lift you up to a new life, and a new plane of existence where all of man’s problems become clear and the answers to it all are obvious to you.
And the Key is so simple and yet so profound:
Love is all Give. … Lust is all Get.
(Please do not confuse this definition with what people usually refer to as love. The desire to get love is not love itself. What is usually referred to in romantic writings and portrayals as love falls far short of this definition and is really desire which is self wanting to fill the hole within.
Love is an outgoing concern for the welfare of others.
Lust is an inward concern for wants of self.
Love is like a cornucopia of all good gifts.
Lust is like an all consuming vortex.
The Spirit, Attitude, Character, and Personality that is defined by the word Love has life in abundance.
The spirit, attitude, character and personality defined by the word Lust, is a most miserable creature due to the world it creates for itself.
Therefore I, in truth, worship Love. I emulate Love. I want to be Love. My God is Love.
You can’t make a religion of that. Man’s religions are mostly just group control mechanisms anyway.
True religion is the Chivalric Way of going to the aid of orphans and widows. Seeing right done to the downtrodden and needy. Ridding them out of the hand of the wicked.
Love speaks to every problem man faces and shows the way to solution.
Marriage between a man and a woman becomes a 100/100 proposition wherein each is only concerned with giving 100% to the other.
In a 50/50 relationship each is actually more concerned with getting their full share from the other and less concerned in giving their reluctant half.
All good springs from Love.
All evil stems from the way of Lust.
This definition of Love is a flashlight that reveals the motives of men.
A word spoken by Love is like the word of the Prophet with the power to crush like a hammer and strike like lightning or lift up like the hands of angels and protect like their covering wings. How is this so? It is so because Love seeks out the true best interests of all involved. Love looks into the spirit and sees and recognizes the cause of evil and with knowledge speaks a very pointed word of wisdom or speaks even louder with actions to remedy the cause and counteract the evil exposed.
The evil must not be allowed to live. It must be stoned to death. You must not allow evil to exist in your midst. … To the natural mind this means picking up rocks and throwing them at someone accused of evil in order to slaughter them body and soul. Love’s correct interpretation is to cast precious stones that are gems of wisdom that apply to the matter at hand until the person is slain in their spirit, and broken hearted and ready for the newness of the Way of Love.
Love is a sword in the hand of a true knight.
For this reason my motto is ever … “Love is all Give.”
I exist. I think, therefore I am.
My being, like all men and women, consists of a physical body, including a brain composed of grey matter, and a self aware mind, which seems to have a Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit. … Physical, Mental, and Spiritual are we.
And in my 65 years of life and 40 years of intensive searching and studying and learning, I have found a Key that has unlocked the mysteries we all long to look into and understand. The Key has become, for me, the key to self improvement and empowerment. It has given me the skill of a source-ist, the sight of a Seer, and the Power of a Prophet. And if you can receive it, the Key has opened the door to the next plane of existence, the place where the Creator intended for us in this life. This is a confession, not a boast.
This has set me apart from the majority who do not know of this Key to Life. It places me on a solitary path that occasionally brings me into contact with like minded individuals.
So close to it are so many, yet the key is rejected by most of them because they usually only hear a distorted blathering when the key gets mentioned in a “religious” context. No wonder, really. The Key will kill you. Not physically, of course, but literally and spiritually. And no one wants to die. On the contrary we usually go kicking and screaming and clinging to life to the last.
But at the same time, once so slain, the Key will lift you up to a new life, and a new plane of existence where all of man’s problems become clear and the answers to it all are obvious to you.
And the Key is so simple and yet so profound:
Love is all Give. … Lust is all Get.
(Please do not confuse this definition with what people usually refer to as love. The desire to get love is not love itself. What is usually referred to in romantic writings and portrayals as love falls far short of this definition and is really desire which is self wanting to fill the hole within.
Love is an outgoing concern for the welfare of others.
Lust is an inward concern for wants of self.
Love is like a cornucopia of all good gifts.
Lust is like an all consuming vortex.
The Spirit, Attitude, Character, and Personality that is defined by the word Love has life in abundance.
The spirit, attitude, character and personality defined by the word Lust, is a most miserable creature due to the world it creates for itself.
Therefore I, in truth, worship Love. I emulate Love. I want to be Love. My God is Love.
You can’t make a religion of that. Man’s religions are mostly just group control mechanisms anyway.
True religion is the Chivalric Way of going to the aid of orphans and widows. Seeing right done to the downtrodden and needy. Ridding them out of the hand of the wicked.
Love speaks to every problem man faces and shows the way to solution.
Marriage between a man and a woman becomes a 100/100 proposition wherein each is only concerned with giving 100% to the other.
In a 50/50 relationship each is actually more concerned with getting their full share from the other and less concerned in giving their reluctant half.
All good springs from Love.
All evil stems from the way of Lust.
This definition of Love is a flashlight that reveals the motives of men.
A word spoken by Love is like the word of the Prophet with the power to crush like a hammer and strike like lightning or lift up like the hands of angels and protect like their covering wings. How is this so? It is so because Love seeks out the true best interests of all involved. Love looks into the spirit and sees and recognizes the cause of evil and with knowledge speaks a very pointed word of wisdom or speaks even louder with actions to remedy the cause and counteract the evil exposed.
The evil must not be allowed to live. It must be stoned to death. You must not allow evil to exist in your midst. … To the natural mind this means picking up rocks and throwing them at someone accused of evil in order to slaughter them body and soul. Love’s correct interpretation is to cast precious stones that are gems of wisdom that apply to the matter at hand until the person is slain in their spirit, and broken hearted and ready for the newness of the Way of Love.
Love is a sword in the hand of a true knight.
For this reason my motto is ever … “Love is all Give.”
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Allow me to begin by making this statement about my background:
I am a 65 year old man who once was something of a hippy. At one point in my life I developed a strong desire to find the meaning of the word Love. At that juncture there happened into my hand a “religious” magazine. Interestingly, my initial reaction to the “religious” nature of the magazine called up in me a feeling of repulsion. I didn’t really want to hear about hellfire and brimstone or pearly gates and golden streets in the sky junk. But I was bored and I impulsively opened that magazine expecting I don’t know what. What met my eyes was the title of an article saying: “Please don’t give me that ‘Old Time Religion.’”
Well, as you can imagine, I was tickled that it reflected my immediate thought. There was then no choice. I had to read.
The article proceeded to define the word Love for me in clear, concise terms. And as it turned out, that marked the beginning of a 7 year intensive and very serious study of the Bible, which, before that point, I really couldn’t understand. I found that by coming to understand that clear definition of Love I now possessed the Key to understanding the Bible.
That was back in ‘68. Understand, ALL that I have learned since, is what I have found in the Bible on my own. I have never joined any church organization and I will not promote one above the others.
The following is my own understanding of what the Scriptures reveal.
Genesis 1:1-2 says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth WAS (also translated “became”) formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’”
This apparent contradiction can resolved when it is understood that the creation story doesn’t give us an all inclusive scientific review. Things happened between verse one, speaking of the original “Big Bang,” and verse two of Genesis which takes up the story after the earth became empty.
For one thing, Lucifer (light bringer, morning star) the Archangel was the first of the angels to be created. (Watchers, messengers, angels, fallen spirits, are all of a kind: not human.) And it was Lucifer who first “sinned” and thereby ushered sin (defined as breaking the law of God which is the Law of Love) into the universe. (Lucifer is one of three Archangels named in Scripture. The others are Gabriel and Michael.) As one of the Archangels he stood before the Throne Of the Creator beholding it. (Note: the ark of the Covenant is a picture or representation of God’s throne with two Archangels facing it with their wing tips touching.)
The throne is represented and the angels are pictured there but there is no figure pictured as sitting on that throne. Think of that for a moment. Why is it that no one has seen God at any time or heard his voice (only the voice of His Angel)? Isaiah 14:12-14 says,
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
That last line says it all about his “sin.” He saw an empty throne and thought to sit on it and rule the Universe. War took place in heaven. A third of the angels followed Lucifer (now called enemy or Satan.) and the enemy was cast back to the earth where Lucifer had his “headquarters.”
Now, understand, Sin must be eliminated from the Universe. You just can’t fill the Universe with immortal beings who’ll be sinning for eternity. Chaos would be the result.
So God has a plan.
He cleaned up the earth and prepared it for human habitation (the reason for the lack of any real evidence of “transitional” evolutionary specimens is because terra forming only requires mastery of Genetics.)
Then a Garden nursery was prepared (eastward in Eden)
Then He created man in His own image, placed him in the garden, and gave him the earth as his charge, giving him dominion.
Not many note this but this was an “in your face” move on God’s part. Right where Satan had his headquarters (earth) God placed the man through which (not whom) the remedy to sin would be realized (through man and through the Son of Man) and His entire Plan for the Universe would be revealed.
Now people have varying interpretations about the fall of Man. But I have found that the cause of man’s fall resides in him having believed a lie.
Carefully examine the Scriptures regarding this. Note that “the serpent” was indeed crafty, sneaky, and deceptive. In one breath he mixes the Great Lie with the Truth. Think about that. The two parts of his statement to Eve were: 1) you will not die and 2) you will be as gods (knowing good and evil).
The Great Lie.
The entire world has been deceived to this very day. What do they teach in our churches? That you are an immortal soul and that upon shedding the body in a physical death, the inner you, the “real” you will go to heaven or hell to live eternally [no place in the Bible does it say that going to heaven is the reward of the saved. {It does say that the saved will enter the kingdom of heaven but that’s about being born into the family of God.} and hell is merely the grave.] All of man’s religions teach some form of inherent immortality, reincarnation or some such. And it all flies in the face of Paul’s statement that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And like the Jews in Jesus’ day people still want to stone you if they think you are saying that you and Jesus are one and the same. The mind is simply closed to how this could be. People just can’t seem to get their head around the idea that they are like God in knowing good and evil. They don’t really believe it (because then they would have to admit their guilt in having done evil in their lifetime.) and they have a habit of pushing the truth away.
The 82nd Psalms: “I said, 'You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
There is much more to be said about this but let me move on.
Later, God gave man the Ten Commandments. Until the law came, sin was not accounted. But now, sin is made clear by the Law, and we can begin to see our guilt. When held up to the light of the Law, all of my faults and flaws are made clear and I stand condemned and found worthy of the death penalty.
Upon hearing of our guilt, we do not want to die and neither do we want to admit our guilt. All sorts of arguments jump up and go on and on and on. But God has better things in store for us who will look closely into the Law.
Recognizing his own guilt, Paul asks the question, “Who will save me from this body doomed to death?” and then gives thanks to Jesus Christ.
The first hint that there would one day come a savior was given when God said to the serpent (the enemy) “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Then there followed prophecy after prophecy giving detail on detail about the advent of the One who would save us all. Clue after clue was given and then fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
He came, he miraculously lived his life sinlessly, and then he deliberately laid down his life for us, 1) to prove what Love is and, 2), to pay that penalty of death in our stead.
By this one ultimate act of Love, Sin and death are conquered.
There’s the window of opportunity, my friends. This is that narrow gate.
Here is how it works:
Stand up now because you are being called to account. Your sin is made clear to you and you know that those who do such things deserve death. You deserve to die. Admit it to yourself and to God and then listen to Him. Take it to heart. Let your core be broken. Become Contrite, because that is precious in God’s sight.
Through your tears, want, with all your being, that God let it be you that died on that cross and desire above all else that God allow Jesus to live His life again, here, in your body.
It is promised that if you will turn away from the ways of sin and lawlessness, and earnestly desire to do righteousness … if you will repent, then your sins will be forgiven, and you are ready to become a new character, attitude, personality, and spirit. And The Most Holy Spirit (attitude, personality, character) is Love. God is Love. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus’ character, attitude, personality and spirit is Love. Let Love reign in your being. Believe it to be true and your actions will reflect who and what you have become. Not everyone can accept what I’m saying, but when Jesus was asked by his disciple to show them the Father and he said, “Have I been so long with you and you don’t know me?” He said this because of the Holy Spirit Love which is His being and the being of the Father. Later he said, “I and Father are one.” and the Jews wanted to stone Him.
Now here is the difference with idol worshipers. Every false god is “out there” in the vastness of space.
Ours is a very present God.
I know this by the Holy Spirit dwelling within my own being. That is God having residence within me. This is Jesus entered and dining with me and making me into the very image of God.
A Most Chivalric Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit.
I am a 65 year old man who once was something of a hippy. At one point in my life I developed a strong desire to find the meaning of the word Love. At that juncture there happened into my hand a “religious” magazine. Interestingly, my initial reaction to the “religious” nature of the magazine called up in me a feeling of repulsion. I didn’t really want to hear about hellfire and brimstone or pearly gates and golden streets in the sky junk. But I was bored and I impulsively opened that magazine expecting I don’t know what. What met my eyes was the title of an article saying: “Please don’t give me that ‘Old Time Religion.’”
Well, as you can imagine, I was tickled that it reflected my immediate thought. There was then no choice. I had to read.
The article proceeded to define the word Love for me in clear, concise terms. And as it turned out, that marked the beginning of a 7 year intensive and very serious study of the Bible, which, before that point, I really couldn’t understand. I found that by coming to understand that clear definition of Love I now possessed the Key to understanding the Bible.
That was back in ‘68. Understand, ALL that I have learned since, is what I have found in the Bible on my own. I have never joined any church organization and I will not promote one above the others.
The following is my own understanding of what the Scriptures reveal.
Genesis 1:1-2 says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth WAS (also translated “became”) formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’”
This apparent contradiction can resolved when it is understood that the creation story doesn’t give us an all inclusive scientific review. Things happened between verse one, speaking of the original “Big Bang,” and verse two of Genesis which takes up the story after the earth became empty.
For one thing, Lucifer (light bringer, morning star) the Archangel was the first of the angels to be created. (Watchers, messengers, angels, fallen spirits, are all of a kind: not human.) And it was Lucifer who first “sinned” and thereby ushered sin (defined as breaking the law of God which is the Law of Love) into the universe. (Lucifer is one of three Archangels named in Scripture. The others are Gabriel and Michael.) As one of the Archangels he stood before the Throne Of the Creator beholding it. (Note: the ark of the Covenant is a picture or representation of God’s throne with two Archangels facing it with their wing tips touching.)
The throne is represented and the angels are pictured there but there is no figure pictured as sitting on that throne. Think of that for a moment. Why is it that no one has seen God at any time or heard his voice (only the voice of His Angel)? Isaiah 14:12-14 says,
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
That last line says it all about his “sin.” He saw an empty throne and thought to sit on it and rule the Universe. War took place in heaven. A third of the angels followed Lucifer (now called enemy or Satan.) and the enemy was cast back to the earth where Lucifer had his “headquarters.”
Now, understand, Sin must be eliminated from the Universe. You just can’t fill the Universe with immortal beings who’ll be sinning for eternity. Chaos would be the result.
So God has a plan.
He cleaned up the earth and prepared it for human habitation (the reason for the lack of any real evidence of “transitional” evolutionary specimens is because terra forming only requires mastery of Genetics.)
Then a Garden nursery was prepared (eastward in Eden)
Then He created man in His own image, placed him in the garden, and gave him the earth as his charge, giving him dominion.
Not many note this but this was an “in your face” move on God’s part. Right where Satan had his headquarters (earth) God placed the man through which (not whom) the remedy to sin would be realized (through man and through the Son of Man) and His entire Plan for the Universe would be revealed.
Now people have varying interpretations about the fall of Man. But I have found that the cause of man’s fall resides in him having believed a lie.
Carefully examine the Scriptures regarding this. Note that “the serpent” was indeed crafty, sneaky, and deceptive. In one breath he mixes the Great Lie with the Truth. Think about that. The two parts of his statement to Eve were: 1) you will not die and 2) you will be as gods (knowing good and evil).
The Great Lie.
The entire world has been deceived to this very day. What do they teach in our churches? That you are an immortal soul and that upon shedding the body in a physical death, the inner you, the “real” you will go to heaven or hell to live eternally [no place in the Bible does it say that going to heaven is the reward of the saved. {It does say that the saved will enter the kingdom of heaven but that’s about being born into the family of God.} and hell is merely the grave.] All of man’s religions teach some form of inherent immortality, reincarnation or some such. And it all flies in the face of Paul’s statement that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And like the Jews in Jesus’ day people still want to stone you if they think you are saying that you and Jesus are one and the same. The mind is simply closed to how this could be. People just can’t seem to get their head around the idea that they are like God in knowing good and evil. They don’t really believe it (because then they would have to admit their guilt in having done evil in their lifetime.) and they have a habit of pushing the truth away.
The 82nd Psalms: “I said, 'You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
There is much more to be said about this but let me move on.
Later, God gave man the Ten Commandments. Until the law came, sin was not accounted. But now, sin is made clear by the Law, and we can begin to see our guilt. When held up to the light of the Law, all of my faults and flaws are made clear and I stand condemned and found worthy of the death penalty.
Upon hearing of our guilt, we do not want to die and neither do we want to admit our guilt. All sorts of arguments jump up and go on and on and on. But God has better things in store for us who will look closely into the Law.
Recognizing his own guilt, Paul asks the question, “Who will save me from this body doomed to death?” and then gives thanks to Jesus Christ.
The first hint that there would one day come a savior was given when God said to the serpent (the enemy) “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Then there followed prophecy after prophecy giving detail on detail about the advent of the One who would save us all. Clue after clue was given and then fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
He came, he miraculously lived his life sinlessly, and then he deliberately laid down his life for us, 1) to prove what Love is and, 2), to pay that penalty of death in our stead.
By this one ultimate act of Love, Sin and death are conquered.
There’s the window of opportunity, my friends. This is that narrow gate.
Here is how it works:
Stand up now because you are being called to account. Your sin is made clear to you and you know that those who do such things deserve death. You deserve to die. Admit it to yourself and to God and then listen to Him. Take it to heart. Let your core be broken. Become Contrite, because that is precious in God’s sight.
Through your tears, want, with all your being, that God let it be you that died on that cross and desire above all else that God allow Jesus to live His life again, here, in your body.
It is promised that if you will turn away from the ways of sin and lawlessness, and earnestly desire to do righteousness … if you will repent, then your sins will be forgiven, and you are ready to become a new character, attitude, personality, and spirit. And The Most Holy Spirit (attitude, personality, character) is Love. God is Love. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus’ character, attitude, personality and spirit is Love. Let Love reign in your being. Believe it to be true and your actions will reflect who and what you have become. Not everyone can accept what I’m saying, but when Jesus was asked by his disciple to show them the Father and he said, “Have I been so long with you and you don’t know me?” He said this because of the Holy Spirit Love which is His being and the being of the Father. Later he said, “I and Father are one.” and the Jews wanted to stone Him.
Now here is the difference with idol worshipers. Every false god is “out there” in the vastness of space.
Ours is a very present God.
I know this by the Holy Spirit dwelling within my own being. That is God having residence within me. This is Jesus entered and dining with me and making me into the very image of God.
A Most Chivalric Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Cambrian Explosion
I found this written somewhere:
The Cambrian explosion has been called the most spectacular event in the history of life, for in a moment of geological time complex animals first appeared on earth fully formed, without evidence of any evolutionary ancestors.
Of the Cambrian explosion, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould says, "The fossil record had caused Darwin more grief than joy. Nothing distressed him more than the Cambrian explosion." Charles Darwin realized that the fossil evidence did not support his theory of gradual, step-by-step evolutionary development. He had envisioned the evolution of life through a multitude of small, undirected steps. He hoped that future generations of scientists would make the discoveries necessary to validate his ideas.
Today, after more than 150 years of exploration, fossil evidence of slow, incremental biological change has yet to be excavated. Instead, we find a picture of the rapid appearance of fully developed, complex organisms during the outset of the Cambrian geological era. Early in the Cambrian period compound eyes, articulated limbs, sophisticated sensory organs, and skeletons burst into existence seemingly out of nowhere. This remarkable explosion of life is best explained by the existence of a transcendent intelligence. Where are the missing transitional forms that Darwin's theory requires? Can any undirected evolutionary process explain the origins of animals?
The Cambrian explosion was actually an explosion of biological information: assembly instructions in DNA and embryonic blueprints that directed the development of the first complex organisms that embody almost all the major animal body plans that exist today. The Cambrian explosion, Darwin's dilemma, delivers information that points unmistakably to foresight, purpose, and intelligent design.
Of the Cambrian explosion, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould says, "The fossil record had caused Darwin more grief than joy. Nothing distressed him more than the Cambrian explosion." Charles Darwin realized that the fossil evidence did not support his theory of gradual, step-by-step evolutionary development. He had envisioned the evolution of life through a multitude of small, undirected steps. He hoped that future generations of scientists would make the discoveries necessary to validate his ideas.
Today, after more than 150 years of exploration, fossil evidence of slow, incremental biological change has yet to be excavated. Instead, we find a picture of the rapid appearance of fully developed, complex organisms during the outset of the Cambrian geological era. Early in the Cambrian period compound eyes, articulated limbs, sophisticated sensory organs, and skeletons burst into existence seemingly out of nowhere. This remarkable explosion of life is best explained by the existence of a transcendent intelligence. Where are the missing transitional forms that Darwin's theory requires? Can any undirected evolutionary process explain the origins of animals?
The Cambrian explosion was actually an explosion of biological information: assembly instructions in DNA and embryonic blueprints that directed the development of the first complex organisms that embody almost all the major animal body plans that exist today. The Cambrian explosion, Darwin's dilemma, delivers information that points unmistakably to foresight, purpose, and intelligent design.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bias in charity?
The question is asked: "I am sure none of the CN [Chivalry-Now] members are this way but I wonder sometimes, are your actions ever bias? For example, if a very attractive woman were in distress, would you be more inclined to help her rather than a less attractive woman? I’m sure everyone would jump up without hesitation and say, 'I would never do that.' But would that be true?"
Personally, I believe bias is overcome in the person who, upon encountering another in some kind of need, will first give that person due serious consideration. I mean by this that when one meets another in need, one ought to stop a moment and try to discover something about that person and their circumstances and their true needs. This, rather than a quick tossing of money just to get away from an unpleasant meeting. (of course, none here would be so shallow.)
Some have needs that are not so obvious as dirty clothes and unkempt appearance. Perhaps a mental defect, or an emotional defect, is the cause of their circumstances. Remedies for this person will be different than than the remedies needed by the simply unemployed.
Some want to improve their selves while others refuse to "see" the answers that would allow them to remedy their situation.
Romans 1:28-32
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Actually, other than the physical needs of food, clothing and shelter, all other needs are addressed in the character, attitude, personality, and spirit. And these needs can only be met if the person themselves have a true desire to find answers and are willing to change.
Personally, I believe bias is overcome in the person who, upon encountering another in some kind of need, will first give that person due serious consideration. I mean by this that when one meets another in need, one ought to stop a moment and try to discover something about that person and their circumstances and their true needs. This, rather than a quick tossing of money just to get away from an unpleasant meeting. (of course, none here would be so shallow.)
Some have needs that are not so obvious as dirty clothes and unkempt appearance. Perhaps a mental defect, or an emotional defect, is the cause of their circumstances. Remedies for this person will be different than than the remedies needed by the simply unemployed.
Some want to improve their selves while others refuse to "see" the answers that would allow them to remedy their situation.
Romans 1:28-32
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Actually, other than the physical needs of food, clothing and shelter, all other needs are addressed in the character, attitude, personality, and spirit. And these needs can only be met if the person themselves have a true desire to find answers and are willing to change.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Welcome to the awakening, ... godlings.
Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.
All the foundations of the earth are out of course. The sky is falling and the end is near. The time is short. The cause is urgent. The welfare of our children and the welfare of the ones we care about are in grave danger. Critical life and death decisions are required immediately. If we don't gird ourselves and act to save their lives, they will suffer and die needlessly.
The question is what can I or any of us do?
The enemy is at the door! Rise and defend.
How long will you judge unjustly? How long will you accept the character, attitude, personality, and spirit of the wicked?
Go to the aid of orphans and widows. See right done to the downtrodden and the needy. Rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.
But you know what? They know nothing. Neither will they listen to you though you speak the words of God. It is for that obstinate attitude that they are given over to a reprobate mind.
God has called them gods to whom He gave his word. He specifically said, "I have said you are gods. Children, all of you, of the Most High . ....... But you are going to die like men. You are going to fall like one of the princes. ... Arise, o god. Judge the earth."
It is not megalomania to understand what Jesus understood. The Father's Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit ...defined by the word Love ....is the Most Holy Spirit and if that same spirit actually has transformed my inner man ... then I have found my identity and with that newfound godpresence I find responsibility with the power to carry it out.
Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.
All the foundations of the earth are out of course. The sky is falling and the end is near. The time is short. The cause is urgent. The welfare of our children and the welfare of the ones we care about are in grave danger. Critical life and death decisions are required immediately. If we don't gird ourselves and act to save their lives, they will suffer and die needlessly.
The question is what can I or any of us do?
The enemy is at the door! Rise and defend.
How long will you judge unjustly? How long will you accept the character, attitude, personality, and spirit of the wicked?
Go to the aid of orphans and widows. See right done to the downtrodden and the needy. Rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.
But you know what? They know nothing. Neither will they listen to you though you speak the words of God. It is for that obstinate attitude that they are given over to a reprobate mind.
God has called them gods to whom He gave his word. He specifically said, "I have said you are gods. Children, all of you, of the Most High . ....... But you are going to die like men. You are going to fall like one of the princes. ... Arise, o god. Judge the earth."
It is not megalomania to understand what Jesus understood. The Father's Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit ...defined by the word Love ....is the Most Holy Spirit and if that same spirit actually has transformed my inner man ... then I have found my identity and with that newfound godpresence I find responsibility with the power to carry it out.
Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Bullies and the Bullied
The Problem: Bulling in school and in the neighborhood.
Focus one: the bully
Focus two: the victims
Focus three: the environs of social laxity.
The Bully.
This person is acting in a manner that is self destructive as well as destructive to those around them. Others that hang with the bully do so because they, too, delight in doing evil and they also engage in the same self destructive behavior. They often form groupings that act in concert to bully others.
Focus one: the bully
Focus two: the victims
Focus three: the environs of social laxity.
The Bully.
This person is acting in a manner that is self destructive as well as destructive to those around them. Others that hang with the bully do so because they, too, delight in doing evil and they also engage in the same self destructive behavior. They often form groupings that act in concert to bully others.
CAPS = Character, Attitude, Personality, Spirit
I wrote this years ago when formulating a business I called The WhiteStones Foundation.
The WhiteStone Corporate Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit.
The WhiteStone Corporate Character, Attitude, Personality, and Spirit.
CAPS
Group psychology suggests that a corporation can and does have a collective character, attitude, personality, and spirit … in so far as such personification can be attributed to a business corporate entity. If the Corporate Leaders share a bad characteristic such as greed, then the corporate character will be greedy.Thursday, April 1, 2010
Another couple of steps forward.
Two baby steps
One: I sent in another payment on the Hub Motor I will be using.
And, Two: I have been invited to join the Companions of Chivalry-Now.
I have enthusiastically accepted and I am now on the Path to toward formal Knighthood.
One: I sent in another payment on the Hub Motor I will be using.
And, Two: I have been invited to join the Companions of Chivalry-Now.
I have enthusiastically accepted and I am now on the Path to toward formal Knighthood.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Solar powered trike and trailer trek across America and the crew of "king" Archer
Being 65 means I get to do what I want.
What I want to do is take a leisurely trek around America to see the sights I've never seen.
So I have made my plans and have put out the first monies toward purchase of an electric hub motor kit for the tricycle I will then buy. My plan involves also building a little covered wagon to sleep in that I can tow behind and which, by using thin film photovoltaic material applied to the cover, can also be a charging station for my batteries. I'll post pictures of my build project and further details as I go.
I was asked by my first sponsor, Morgan Giddings (or was it her sister Elise?) of Cycle9, (Carrboro, North Carolina) if I were taking the trek just for fun or was I going to promote some cause. (Their website is www.cycle9.com.)
That got me to thinking and after casting about for a short while, I found a website dedicated to promoting the principles of chivalry and I decided this would be the cause I would promote. Chivalry Now (whose web address is chivalrynow.net) is about encouraging our society to practice chivalry, now in this day and age and especially in our own lives.
What I want to do is take a leisurely trek around America to see the sights I've never seen.
So I have made my plans and have put out the first monies toward purchase of an electric hub motor kit for the tricycle I will then buy. My plan involves also building a little covered wagon to sleep in that I can tow behind and which, by using thin film photovoltaic material applied to the cover, can also be a charging station for my batteries. I'll post pictures of my build project and further details as I go.
I was asked by my first sponsor, Morgan Giddings (or was it her sister Elise?) of Cycle9, (Carrboro, North Carolina) if I were taking the trek just for fun or was I going to promote some cause. (Their website is www.cycle9.com.)
That got me to thinking and after casting about for a short while, I found a website dedicated to promoting the principles of chivalry and I decided this would be the cause I would promote. Chivalry Now (whose web address is chivalrynow.net) is about encouraging our society to practice chivalry, now in this day and age and especially in our own lives.
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