Time - Life Between the Ticks

"Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye..."

-- W. Shakespeare, Love's Labours Lost (1588)

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

Living life between the ticking of a clock - with digital timepieces young people may soon be growing up not ever realizing what that means. For me, it occurs every day. 

I was researching art for my post on Mary - the Theotokos, just the other morning, when time slowed to a crawl, the distance between the ticks, a split second that became stretched in my mind's eye. She was absolutely beautiful, as I'm sure the artist was well aware, this woman who posed. I inhaled a breath and lived a lifetime, exhaled and time began anew.

She was French, maybe Italian and possibly Jewish. She might have been a New Yorker; time period, oh, let's guess late 19th or very early 20th century. She was probably younger than she looks and all the virgin of the Madonna she was posing to be. Like a photograph, this work would be worthy of note, but from paint, brush, and palette... the artist's ability to capture an essence of her and communicate that to those who would gaze upon canvas is nothing short of breathtaking.  You can almost reach out and wipe the tear from her cheek.  Enlarge the picture, if you dare, and stare into her eyes for a couple of minutes. You can almost feel her staring back; almost see her inhale, and there, a twitch... 

I knew her, but for a second, and I will remember her forever. Mankind's ability to create beauty is as close to God as we will probably ever hope to get.  Those who have such talent are the truly blessed of among us.

Beauty is, indeed, bought by the judgment of the eye, especially when living life between the ticks of a clock.

Tick...tick... tick...

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

My New Year Thought for Sunday: Mary, the Theotokos

Theotokos is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations, Dei Genetrix or Deipara, are translated as "Mother of God" or "God-bearer".

The Council of Ephesus decreed in 431 that Mary is the Theotokos because her son Jesus is both God and man: one divine person with two natures (divine and human) intimately and hypostatically united.

-- Wikipedia, "Theotokos"

"Hypostatically united," threw me for a loop, so I did what any self-respecting man would do, I stopped for directions - I looked it up. Don't bother, it didn't help. I knew it was time to stop looking when I was directed to a legal (as in law school) definition of the word. When lawyers get involved you're better off using good sense because the legalese will give you a headache.  It is like trying to figure out how artists ever thought Mary and Jesus should be depicted with ivory white skin.  Hello!  They're in the desert 24/7/365!  Skin cancer!  Not sure they made SPF 100 from rendered lamb fat back in year zero.  Lily white desert dwellers, however, does play to our acceptance of whatever we're fed, but with "hypostatically united" even I have to throw the penalty flag, on whoever penned the phrase, for being a smug showoff.  One would think authors writing for the masses would consider writing at a second grade level, as some government agencies require of anything going public, so the majority of our dumb ass society can understand what is being written to educate them.

I tried to clarify my own confusion by reading this excerpt from "A Historical-Theological Comparison on the Reception of the Extra-Calvinisticum in the Theology of Karl Barth and Francois Turrettini," a research paper authored by Rafael N. Bello of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  It seemed to help, a bit, but my head still hurts:

"Historically, natures are associated with capacities, faculties, will etc.  However, the acting subject that makes the choosing is the person.  Therefore the extra makes one sense of the hypostatic union when it states that the Son acts in and through a divine and human natures...  Crisp speaks of the divine person owning the human and divine natures.  Therefore one can say John Doe is fully human, but also merely human, because his person can only act in and through his one human nature.  John Doe has only one nature to act through.  The person of the Son, however, is fully human and not merely human.  He is fully human insofar as he has a complete human nature, but is not merely human, because his person can act in and through the human and divine natures."

I take "hypostatically united" to mean, in this case, philosophically united as opposed to being physically united. It is not a part of him, yet it is. He is united to His "human" nature because he is human. He is united to his "divine" nature because God willed it to be so for a purpose. This is a nature Jesus accepted on faith and proved with actions.  It is a part of His nature we must also take on faith, just like I have the utmost faith I have totally mucked up this explanation, but I also have faith that you will get the gist of it.  As with most things spiritual and religious in nature, this all seems to revolve around faith.

I wear a Madonna medallion around my neck. I am not a Mariologist (I'm not even certain "Mariologist" is a word) but I do accept her as my "lady." She is the most blessed of women, the chosen of God, and the mother of the Christ Child.  I take all of this, and the virgin birth of her child, on faith.  And taking this on faith opens up my favorite question, "Why?"  I have faith because man is nothing without hope.  We have the capability to endure so very much, if we have hope.  Without hope everything else is lost to us.  Is not an atheist with hope simply a deist in denial?

When I first entered into military intelligence we studied survival, interrogation, torture, resistance, and the experiences of prisoners of war during the Vietnam conflict.  It was interesting to read how much of their survival depended on the hope and faith that we would not forget them.  It is a hope and faith the American military man will be hard pressed to regain after our country turned its back on the American personnel in Benghazi, but I digress. 

Councils, theologians, and scholars debate Mary's nature, her titles, and whether she holds a position worthy of worship.  Go to Mexico and visit a Catholic church.  Mexican's are all about leaving offerings to the saints.  Go into the church and see which painting or statue is suffocating with offerings and I'll bet you find it's the Virgin of Guadalupe.  I was so moved by my visit to the church in Manzanillo, I constructed a large shrine dedicated to the Virgin.  Even this shrine was visited and littered with offerings by those faithful to her.

As we approach the first day of 2017, we find our country rife with disenchantment, violence, and anger.  These are the flames of a society burning its own house to the ground.  These are the flames being fanned white hot by divisive political parties, a media creating their own news through questionable journalistic practices, a corrupt Supreme Court, and a people too ignorant to care or notice while they follow the rest of the lemmings off the cliff of hopelessness.

This Sunday marks, not only the beginning of our New Year, but also the celebration of the Theotokos; Mary, the mother of Jesus, the mother of God on earth. It is appropriate that we celebrate her with the New Year, as she represents the birth of new hope. Each New Year's Eve we say goodbye to the past and welcome in a new year full of hope.  Let us take seize this first day of the new year and pledge to each other that we will ignore the evil in our midst, ignore media spin based on questionable facts, and demand our legal system follow the rule of law and not the direction of the days winds.  Most of all, let us pledge an end to the ignorance which has seemingly infected all of society and makes us follow hate mongers who stand aside at the last minute and push us off that cliff of hopelessness, those hate mongers who make their fortune off the hopelessness and hate they, themselves, create.  Let us make this New Year's Day a new beginning of hope and tolerance, of education and equality, of security and life.

Have the happiest, and safest, of New Years and God continue to bless us all, Mary, the Mother of God, our families and friends, these United States of America, and all peaceful, loving people around the world!

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center. 

A Belief In... Something

Three reasons why the New York Times' War on Christmas denial is all wrong.  Does this title confuse anyone else?  Well, maybe it's just me, but I'd have written this differently, like highlighting "War on Christmas" so it isn't misconstrued as the "New York Times' War on Christmas" denial.  I'd like to think the New York Times isn't denying they're waging war on Christmas; rather they're just printing an article denying there is a war on Christmas which others are accused of waging.  I suppose it goes to show that even Fox News hires journalists from the American colleges of "higher" education.  These are the little misprints which get blown all out of proportion by those folks with agendas of perpetual offense who seem to be in bed with nothing even remotely close to truth.

I invite all of my readers to go to the link, above, and read this article before continuing through my post.  If nothing else, it is interesting and written by someone with a unique point of view for most journalists of today - he was there!  I always find it a plus when I can get anything close to facts from someone who actually knows something of the subject on which they open their pie hole for commentary.

Now, even though the reference article deals with religious holidays, it is not my intent to get into a braying contest with a league of jackasses.  I have had many friends who are agnostic as well as atheist.  They are fine people, tolerant people, who understand a need for belief, even though their own belief might not be that of others.  It is called diversity, and we all have supported each other in celebrating it.

I find myself, quite often, ministering to those who question their faith, or question the need for faith.  I usually start my discussions by explaining that, for them at that moment, what or who they have faith in is not as important as the fact that they have faith - in something.  Ministers and priests have issue with my approach even though, for the most part, they and their close minded, divisive, "Christian" philosophies are the cause of much of this confusion and loss of valuable congregation members.  I'm just stepping in to offer what they could not - tolerance and understanding, you know, some of those much touted, little used, Christian values.  I just think it is better to keep what you can of their Christianity.  They might not be devout, not many of us are, but better God at least keeps something of their soul and it might as well be faith.

As a Christian, I think that explaining it is okay to have a personal relationship with God is much better than losing a fellow Christian altogether, and having a belief in something is better than having a belief in nothing.  Without faith what are we left with?  Atheists have faith that they are right, they have faith that supreme deities do not exist.  They will argue there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting any deist beliefs.  So what do atheists and theists have in common?  We both have an unyielding faith that we are correct.  

Everyone believes in something, or someone; everyone would seem to have faith.  Faith is what puts most of us on our life path.  I firmly believe unhappiness occurs when we deny our path.  Oh, we're on it, been on it since we were born.  We're able to see forward and back, and everything to each side as we stumble around blindly denying the path we're on.  When we finally become aware of our path we're usually the only ones who didn't know what it was, and where we were headed.  We stumble around blindly because we have faith, blind faith.

But isn't all faith blind, by definition?  Don't we all have faith because we have no proof?  Here's a thought to ponder.  A blind man is only blind until he learns to "see."  Blind faith is only blind until we discover our path, until we create order out of chaos, and take those first tentative steps forward.  We feel with our hands, not knowing what lies ahead, but we have faith that we will make the best of whatever we come across or whatever comes our way.  We don't have to see what lies ahead to feel pretty darned certain something does.  We have faith.  And one day we will come to understand that even if nothing is there, that is something, and sometimes nothing is something to be cherished.  It is proof we are alive.  So, it would seem we can believe in nothing and, in doing so, believe in something.  Atheists don't believe in God because God does not exist for them.  God is nothing; therefore... well, you get the point.

We all believe in something.  Why don't we learn to believe in our somethings together, in peace?  We might find a light to brighten our path.  We might even discover something better to believe in that is much more interesting than nothing.  We might even discover our faith.   

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Always remember the reason for the season!

To all of my readers, worldwide, and to all of my friends and family, I wish you the merriest of times for this Christmas season.  May God, Christ, and my lady Mary who gave birth to the reason for hope, continue to bless us all for the coming year.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the need for all of us to strive for tolerance, understanding, and peace, especially in today's world.  We must come to grips with what is, come together with what can be accomplished, and move forward into the future as a diverse and united culture, a diverse and united people, as diverse and united states.

God bless us all, and God bless these United States of America! 

My Christmas Thought for 12252016: Happiness in the Eyes of a Child

"Every child you encounter is a divine appointment." 

— Wess Stafford, President Emeritus of Compassion International

Whenever I feel down, which isn't often, I can always find my happy place in the eyes of a child.  I can be standing in line at Walmart and there will be a child in a basket that just won't stop looking at me.  Before you know it I'm in a one way conversation with this little shit, they're winning, and the mother is smiling.  Anyone who knows me knows I have a soft place for kids, one reason why I can never work at a children's hospital - losing one would tear me up emotionally.  Luckily, in my position as chaplain at the medical center, the occasion has never arisen.

Christmas is all about the birth of our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth; the Christ Child, the anointed one of God - the Messiah.  Jesus is the reason for the season, so it is no surprise that we celebrate our own children by the giving of presents as inspired by the story of the three magi, the wise men.  I think it is important to remember that all children are born, like Jesus, without sin.  Why would we possibly expect beautiful gifts from God to be tainted?  And why then, knowing the purity God bestowed upon our offspring, would we intentionally taint them?  It makes little sense, yet we see it happen all the time; a slight toward our God.  How dare we?

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.

-- Psalm 127: 3

But even the most faithful of us seem to have fallen prey to overindulgence in the material aspect of this holy day.  We sacrifice the reason for the season on the altar of mammon.  We spend untold millions of dollars each year to quench the thirst of children we have spoiled, to the point of abuse, instead of feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless, which would be a gift of reality most of our children are sorely in need of.

When I was feeding homeless families in Olympia, Washington, I came face to face with Ignorance and Want, "and all of their degree."  I remembered a well-read part of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, the children hiding under the spirit's robe in particular, "They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread."

And then, I would offer them an apple, or other a piece of fruit, scorned by most children in favor of the odd piece of candy. These, however, would look up, with longing eyes, to their mother who would nod approval. When they looked back their eyes would sparkle, any sign of Dickens' children in the story would, for a moment, be lost.

"A child is a beam of sunlight from the Infinite and Eternal, with possibilities of virtue and vice, but as yet unstained."

-- Lyman Abbott, American Congregationalist minister

I found myself returning, many times, to help feed these needy folks.  A few of my early posts were based on these visits.  I so looked forward, selfishly, to seeing the faces of children brighten at the smallest offering.  I came to realize what I had long forgotten - this is what children do.  They find a smile in the midst of misery.  They teach us how to accept fate in children's cancer wards, and how to overcome birth defects, loss of limbs and mobility.  They remind us that, given the opportunity, they are so much better than we are when we are older and have so much more.  They can find happiness in the face of adversity, with the simplest of gifts.  Children are truly our gifts from God.

"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven."

-- Henry Ward Beecher, reverend and social activist

Christmas seems to have become one day in the year where we celebrate our children, or each other, yet we seem to have relegated the reason for the season to an afterthought, if we think of it at all.  I think it would benefit all of us to purchase one gift for a child, to memorialize the magi, then take the child to a shelter and teach them what need is all about.  Don't worry, they will understand better than you.  It is a Christmas tradition I wish I had celebrated years ago, and will continue to celebrate each year.

Christmas, as we all know, is about giving, not receiving, and we need to consider who really needs and what it is they really need.  This could be an opportunity to plant a seed of social responsibility in your own child or other family members.  Will they balk at the idea?  Well, how much of a role model have you been?  Maybe you're thinking about this question much too long...

The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

-- Denis Waitley, motivational author

Our children outgrow us and leave to have lives of their own.  Much of what they remember of family times will revolve around holidays together.  Each holiday is a day you will never have again with your child, each day is a day that, when over, can never be relived.  Soon, they will be older and, hopefully, wiser.  How wise they become as adults relies, in no small part, on the wisdom we impart to them while they are children.

I hope to, each day, look into the bright, sparkling eyes of a child.  It is selfish of me as I do it to make myself happy on those rare moments when I might feel down.  We should celebrate our children daily.  We should look into their eyes knowing we are the reason for the sparkle.  Everyday should be Christmas.  Everyday should be celebrated and, when we are gone, everyday should be remembered by our children as a gift from God to be cherished!

You will never have this day again with your children, tomorrow they will be older, the days you have with your Children are a gift. Relish and cherish the charms of the presence each and every day!

-- Andrew Guzaldo, writer

Our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, once said, "Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see."  This Christmas and New Year, let us vow to pay attention to the messages we send forward.  Happiness, and our future, can be found in the eyes of a child.  Make it sparkle!

I wish you all the merriest of Christmas holidays.  Enjoy family and friends, and don't forget to tell them how much they mean to you.  Tell them every day, each time you see them, as if each day is your last.

“Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much.”

-- Lisa Wingate, columnist, author

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

stor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, Pablog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

What Gifts May Come

"What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary’s lap is sleeping,

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary!"

This was to be "My Christmas Thought" for this coming Sunday, but it was viewed as a bit maudlin for the season.  That is one view, but I'd prefer to consider the beautiful "miracle" of it all, but then, I revel in miracles around me throughout the year and in particular during the Christmas season.  After all, 'tis the season for reflection, and we need to ignore the naysayers and try to remember the reason for the season.  We need to, for a moment, set aside the selfish material desires of the season and consider the simple aspect of joy - if not in the birth of our savior, then in something other than a wrapped gift under a dying tree.  Maybe we need to reflect on the joy of life, and not on the misery.  Our children need to embrace this joy, as if tomorrow may never come, and we need to learn from it.  God help us all if we don't.  Each year I await, more than anything, a simple gift, the call from my children wishing me a merry Christmas.  This is the selfish gift for old farts which reaffirms for us that we have not been forgotten, that we will not die alone.  It gives us great joy.

There was an article from ABC News, on December 12, entitled Boy in Hospital Dies in Santa's Arms After Receiving Early Christmas Present.  Children at death's door never cease to amaze. I always am left to wonder if I will have such strength of character when my time comes to journey into the next great adventure, and how I handled in in the numerous lives which came before. Was I a whimpering, blubbering coward, or did I accept my inevitable fate with courage and faith.  I would hope my sense of faith played a large part in how I dealt with it.  I think this is what separates those of us with some spiritual belief in an afterlife from the "dead and done" philosophy of atheists.

“We do not have control over many things in life and death,

but we do have control over the meaning we give it.”

-- Nathalie Himmelrich, author, grief recovery coach

I wrote a post, not long ago, about our own small miracle involving a fellow minister at the medical center, here (see Lucy the Clown - a Minister?).  What occurred between Lucy the Clown and the autistic child, seen as a miracle or not, was pretty straight forward.  I'm not sure if we can read "miracle" into this particular Santa story, though I would like to think it was guided by the finger of God.  Perhaps it is a lesson for the Santa involved, perhaps a lesson for us all.  He talks about wanting to hang up his suit afterward, yet this seems more of a lesson for him of why he does what he does - why he plays Santa, why we have a Lucy the Clown, and maybe even another reason why Christ was born for us.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'”

-- Matthew 19:14

An interesting thought to ponder, however, is the date of Christ's birth, which is considered to be late September.  This would put the date of the "Immaculate Conception" in late December, which means we are actually celebrating the conception of Jesus Christ.  For those pro-choice advocates, this presents another opportunity for sin and interpretation.  What if Mary had chosen abortion of God's seed over acceptance of her fate and that of the child?  And, it would also answer for us, through the Word of God, the Bible, when life begins since we obviously celebrate it at conception, in this instance.  One has to wonder why we don't celebrate "conception" of a child as much as we do the birth.  Husband and wife are elated when they find out they're pregnant, so the reality of a new life is already affirmed, but our legal system says they celebrate months too early.  As a matter of fact, until that baby takes a "first breath" into those little lungs, it isn't considered worthy of our protection.  How sad for us.

“There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world.”

-- Author unknown

The conception of a child, immaculate or not, is reason for celebration.  Having a child die in one's arms, though God's will, should give us all a reason for pause; where is the lesson in this?  It would seem obvious it is not a lesson for the young child, so it must fall to some adults involved, perhaps even a man, a stranger, visiting in a red costume and bringing joy if only for the briefest of moments.  The gift of a child's birth is as important as the untimely gift of the child's death.  Ours is not to reason why, other than to accept God must have a reason.

“Think of your child, then, not as dead, but as living; not as a flower that has withered, but as one that is transplanted, and touched by a Divine hand, is blooming in richer colors and sweeter shades than those of earth.”

-- Richard Hooker (1554-1600), British theologian

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

My Sunday Thought for 12182016: The Hair We Take for Granted

When their city was occupied by the Gauls, and the Romans, who were besieged in the Capitol, had made military engines from the hair of the women, they dedicated a temple to the Bald Venus.

-- Lactantius (c. 250 - c. 325), author, advisor to Emperor Constantine I 

I think there is nothing quite as beautiful, nothing that can make a statement of perfection, as much as a woman who can carry herself with such refinement and class while sporting a well shorn head.  It is truly not the lack of hair which defines the woman, but rather the woman who defines the lack of hair.  She can look upon her bald self as  lacking some quality, like hair, or she can redefine her quality to include the very fact that she needs no hair to define how absolutely beautiful she is.  But, then, I've always been a neck person when it comes to the fairer gender; I love the hair short, or put up, so as to show off the neck and shoulders.  You can call me kinky, but I think it works.  Is it the hair we take for granted, or the lack of it?

Men have fought the horrors of "male pattern baldness" for ages, and women have feared the naked pate for an equal time.  This fear of the polished dome seems much ado about nothing.  A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman.  To kiss one's cheek, one's lips, one's forehead... Aye!  The forest is laid bare before me!  A blank canvas awaits much smooching and caressing, over the top and down the back, like a skier on new slopes, an explorer of virgin territory.  No more hair to disentangle from one's mouth, no more accidental pulling of the long locks in the throes of passion.  Women find what men have known for eons - no hair is easier to maintain than short hair and short hair wasn't all that bad to begin with.

An online acquaintance recently posted a photo of himself sans his usually long hair.  When asked the whereabouts of said locks, his response was this:

"Cut it off some time ago. I do this when I get it long. I have donated hair, counting this time, three different times. I actually had the pleasure of face to face hand deliver to a twelve year old female the time before this one. Everyone in the room, including hospital staff and the "wig" maker, in “full river” tears. The young lady is now 21 years old and has beaten her ailments. She in turn donated that hair piece to pay it forward. Way to go Kailie. I think this is a very good thing and a lesson for us all. If a youngster has the heart and respect to do such a marvelous thing, then as an adult we should stop being childish and grow up to do as we should being grownups."  

I applaud my friend for his efforts for these folks because they have enough to deal with than to worry about how they look to others, the fear of being labeled, being stared at, whispered about, pitied.  Because of their lack of hair?  Really?  As much as I applaud my friends efforts and concern, I also point an accusatory finger (and you know which one) at society, for we are the reason for his efforts.  Many would say he does it because they have cancer, or other malady, chemotherapy, or radiation causing the hair loss.  For my friend to donate his own hair, this might be correct.  But, I feel, the underlying reason is societal expectations which state a woman must look a certain way, meet certain criteria and standards, in order to be viewed as that ever sought after beauty.  I say that societal standards for physical beauty are... bullshit!

Yes, you should be neat and clean at all times.  You should be well groomed and well dressed.  You should be all of this as a matter of pride in yourself.  This is what speaks to people with any depth of thought.  The shallow of those amongst us will speak of "beautiful people" and the "haves" over the "have nots."  But, if an ordinary person carries themselves with pride and humility, watch the confusion and mumbling erupt around those who would judge.  What the buxom bombshell, Mae West, once stated about men holds just as true for women:

"A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him." 

-- Mae West (1893-1980), actress

Well, if he's showered they'll like him more, and if he's deloused, well... you see my point. Grooming is as important as fire, unless you're on fire in which case an extinguisher would be prudent. We are entering a new age of acceptance not enjoyed since the hippy days of my youth. We are learning to be more and more tolerant and acceptant of each other, providing we don't listen to the news media which would have us at each other's throats simply to boost for ratings.  It just seems like we make more of baldness than we really need to.  Who really cares?  Ask the children with cancer who are too young to care, or the elderly who are too old to care.  They'll probably teach you something about dealing with life, and handling the fear of death.

"And now that I have survived, I feel the growing need to communicate to as many people as possible that it is important to love oneself. It isn't easy. For someone like me it really took such a powerful experience to wake me up. But I am determined. I decided to use my image as a bald woman to get people to think, and so far things are going very well."

-- Sharon, model, actress, cancer survivor

We have created our own monster.  We have created an expectation of beauty which even the "beautiful people" cannot live up to.  Physically they might come close, but even most of them fail at depth of thought.  They go along to get along, but have no real concept of anything except the shallow end of the pool.  The Mona Lisa has enthralled the world and defined beauty and art for generations since Giorgio Vasari first coined the name for Da Vinci's painting back in 1550.  Yet, can any of us really say Lisa looks any less a beautiful work of art if she were bald?  I think not.

Let us all learn to embrace our inner baldness.  We need to let loose of the rugs we hide under and learn to revel in our baby butt bareness.  When you think about it, who is the lesser person, the person with least character?  Would it be the bald person, or those which pass judgment on them?  Taking that thought out to its obvious destination, what respect would someone, who dares to judge the least of us, hope to garner from those around them, unless those around them also inhabit the shallow end of the genetic pool?  As a woman, I think Elayne Boosler must have had her head up her judgmental ass when she made this humorous, albeit untrue, comment:

"You never see a man walking down the street with a woman who has a little potbelly and a bald spot."

-- Elayne Boosler, comedian

I see these guys walking with them all the time.  We outnumber the "beautiful people" by a multiple we'd be hard-pressed to judge.  The question we all need to ask is, "Why?"  Why do we find Ms. Boosler's comment funny?  Why don't we find it sad that the majority continue surrendering our moral high ground to those of so much lesser humanity at the shallow end of the gene pool enabling them to dictate societal standards for beauty.  Just saying.

As for me, I will continue to find beauty in mine own eye, and I will define it by how God's work of art speaks to me.  You can slap lipstick on a pig and you can slap it on a model that chews gum like cud and speaks like a $20 hooker from the Bronx.  Both have an inner beauty waiting to get out and show the world what they truly have to offer, that any shallowness we perceive might be a mistaken judgment on our part, and that bald head might be a badge of courage we may never understand.  I think we should give them an opportunity to step up, show us and teach us, and we should not be so quick to judge.

Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man - there's your diamond in the rough. 

-- Larry David, comedian

I challenge everyone, women in particular and bald women specifically, to be Larry David's "diamond in the rough."  Step out into the sunshine with confidence that you will sparkle, and see how many people you amaze.

But then, this is just My Sunday Thought for December 18, 2016.  I could be wrong.

"How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?"

-- Kirk, "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" (1982)

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

My Sunday Thought for 12112016: Did God Create a Man and a Woman?

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

-- Genesis 5:1-2

Did God create a man and a woman, or did He, as Genesis proclaims, create man, male and female, and name them Man? Isn't this written so as to leave it all open to interpretation? It would seem you can read it as all-inclusive of the rich variety of mankind, of those peacefully seeking His grace, thus evidencing yourself as all accepting and tolerant of all around you.  On the other hand, it could be interpreted as exclusive which would thereby evidence you as a hateful, unforgiving, bigot who is programmed by misguided faith, and against their own scripture, to deem it proper to stand in judgment of others.  If God had meant this statement, as put forth in Genesis, to exclude humans of His own perfect creative abilities would it not clearly state God created "a man and a woman" and not address the whole as man and woman?  However, as stated, "He made man in the likeness of God" and "He created them [Man], both male and female," not a male and a female.

Now there comes the argument of Eve, made from the rib of Adam.  And yet, if we accept the precept that Adam was created by God as being both male and female, thus genderless and, therefore with an ability to love unconditionally, and if we accept that genetic material was gleaned from Adam's rib to create woman, then we must assume the duality of Adam's sexuality would be present in both of them, yes?  Adam would seem to have been created, originally, as a lonely caretaker.  Before God brought Eve on board, of what use were Adam's private parts?  Yeah, we'll assume there were sheep, but thank God for Eve.  If any of this holds water, the reason for gender identity issues would be that rib and a bit of genetic creativity by, wait for it.... God!   

So it would seem it is, in fact, all in the way we interpret it, and in the way we twist our scripture to meet our seemingly un-Christian agenda of "us and them."  We act like journalists as we add and subtract from facts in order to push our particular religious agenda, our own definition Christianity and faith.  According to the sign posted (left) by the Back to the Bible Holiness Church, it would seem the congregation has not read Genesis 5-2.  I read the verses twice and found no mention of "Satan made gays & transgender," any more than it said "God created man & woman."  It makes me wonder which "Bible" the Back to the Bible Holiness Church is going back to.

As a side note, has everyone come to grips with Michelangelo's depiction of God as a creation of man's mind?  God actually looks as if he is reaching out from the inside of a human brain.  Considering Michelangelo's penchant for hiding his own thoughts and beliefs, disguised as art within art, this would not be unusual for the artist as he was constantly trying to avoid the admonishment of the Church for any imagined heresy.  Most forward thinkers of his era were all tap dancing around heresy which was redefined daily by the Christian Church.   

The rest of us, however, also seem to take artistic license where God is concerned.  We, and all of the other 33,000-plus Christian sects, create in our minds an image of God which suits our agendas, and we seem do it with little regard for scripture which we declare to be the "Word of God."  Where I would say to read scripture and take a critical eye to what you read, most others will accept scripture as the definitive "Word of God" and then go about misinterpreting what it says and finding excuses for the countless contradictions, all while judging others and condemning folks to eternal damnation for some perceived offense for which the accuser would seem at least as guilty, if not more so.

We were given ten simple commandments, not one of which says thou shalt not be LGBTQ+, et al.  What scripture does say of the Ten Commandments is there are two which are the foundation of all the others; two great commandments which contain the whole law of God:  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

And one of them, a doctor of the Law, putting him to the test, asked him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?" Jesus said to him, "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.' This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

-- Matthew 22:35-40

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  From what I've encountered, this would seem to be the most forgotten commandment of all Christian philosophy, or the most misinterpreted of the ten very simple rules for finding salvation.  

Next time you deign to love thy neighbor, will you ask if they are man or woman?  What if they don't identify with either?  What if they identify with both?  Will you judge them, and if you do, what gives you the right?  Do they not deserve, by the very Word of God you hold so holy, the same respect and love you would expect for yourself?  Are they not children of God?

Just "My Sunday Thought" for December 11, 2016.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

My Sunday Thought for 12042016: Living in the Now

"We are living in a culture entirely hypnotized by the illusion of time, in which the so-called present moment is felt as nothing but an infinitesimal hairline between an all-powerfully causative past and an absorbingly important future."

-- Alan W. Watts (1915-1973), interpreter of Eastern philosophy

For me, living in the now means living between the ticks of a clock. It means an ability to focus on the air as its being beaten into submission by the wings of a bee, or to simply pick a point of water as it approaches in a fast moving stream, and follow as it passes and continues out of sight. Even before his death in 1973, Alan Watts rightly understood that our culture had lost touch with the present, the now. We were fully absorbed in creating better, faster, easier, less expensive; a disposable life for our disposable world. If you don't believe me, I'm sure there's an app for it.

We move much faster than in Allan's day. I'm sure online dating, email, texting, and other technological ills of mass impersonal communication weren't even dreams in his time. Our ability to link to the internet at our local coffee shop means that, even when we take a break from our hectic day, we never really take a break. We find ourselves constantly on the move, constantly accelerating through our lives of which there is so precious little.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"

-- The White Rabbit (1865), "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Do you use a calculator, or do you do the math in your head or on paper? Do you use spell check or the dictionary? Grammar Check, The Essential Writer's Companion (mine's the 1997 edition), or Roget's A-Z Thesaurus? When was the last time you read a book and actually caught all of the spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes in it? It seems large publishing houses don't spend money proofing an author like they used to, and let's not even get started on newspapers. The news industry would be better served to learn how to be ethical journalists before they work on their proofing and grammar. Today's journalism is a journey back in time to the late 1800's and "yellow journalism" which was more fiction than fact and was soon distrusted by the public. We are not to be bothered thinking for ourselves and separating truth from bullshit, that's what we have governments, universities, and machines for, right? Why do we try to struggle with independent thought when we can allow ourselves to be programmed?  Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

We have become so busy in our jobs, our leisure, our family and friends, we have no time to watch the moon long enough to see it move between branches of a tree, much less watch the night sky long enough to find the planets. We never sit and try to see the beating wings of a hummingbird. We never try to live between the moments, much less in them. We are too busy trying to become, when we should simply - be.

"All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be – don’t try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance."

-- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931-1990), guru, spiritual teacher

"Where do you have to be that is more important than you are right now, this very second?" This is the question I often put to my PTSD group, at the medical center, when I meet with them each Sunday morning. Inevitably, someone will mention watching the television, reading a book, and the like. I excuse them to go on about their preferred business. They usually either stay or return, which opens their eyes and is a lesson to the group. The more important question is why we feel we need to be somewhere else, and is it a valid or simply a desire to escape the now, where we belong?

Where we want to be is much different than where we know we have to be, or should be, at this very second.  Many times, where we have to be is really where we want to be, we just haven't wrapped our minds around the fact that neither really matters - wherever we go, there we are.  One who pays attention usually finds we are where we are for a reason.  Where I am, how I got there, what I'm doing there, when I can leave, are all questions of lesser importance to why I am there, and why I am there is insignificant to the fact that I am.  Next time you get on the elevator and press the button for the first floor, but the elevator takes you up to the third floor, maybe you should get off and see what's happening.  Life might have brought you there for cause.  You might need to witness something, or someone, or they might need to witness you.

Life is now.

There was never a time when your life was not now, 

nor will there ever be.

-- Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher and author

When we look at the world around us, what do we really see? We look at flowers in a garden, oh how pretty, but have we seen how absolutely marvelous they are... up close? We look at a beautiful woman and admire her great legs, but do we see the tell-tale signs of physical or mental abuse, the cries for help screaming from her eyes? We look at the children playing in the street, but do we see their hunger and the mom working two or three jobs? Do we ever truly stop to smell the roses, or do we simply look as we pass by? Do we ever wonder why it's important to pay attention?

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

-- Henry David Thoreau

Living in the now means living in it all. It means we don't get to pick and choose what comes at us, but we have to take life as it comes, in the moment. We have to take the bad, of which there is so much, and learn to stop and enjoy the happiness and beauty which might come our way. We tend to look at the ugliness more than we see the beauty and happiness within it, for even in the ugly we can find a beauty which can inspire. We need to force ourselves to stop, focus, and see the wonders of the world, good and bad.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. 

If you are attentive, you will see it.

-- Thich Nhat Hahn, Zen master, Buddhist monk, poet

Why does it benefit us to live our lives with blinders on?  Why do we have to be led, like sheep to slaughter, by those we elect to protect us, and why do we need protection when we are all perfectly capable?  Why does it benefit us to rush forward and miss the beauty of life around us?  Why do we live everywhere, every time, except in the now in which we belong?  Why do we feel we can move forward on our path if we can't even stop and deal with our present?  Why do we think we can imagine a future if we can't even see the facts of our present with our own eyes?  Why?

As you move forward through your busy life, try to take a moment, smell the roses, be attentive and see the world around you, and ask learn to ask yourself, "Why?"  Why am I here, now?  Why do I have to be somewhere that is so much more important, and if it truly is, why am I not there instead of here?

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

-- Alan W. Watts

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to the intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain at a regional medical center.