Dear America,
"When the cement
that has held a nation together
no longer exists,
the state soon dissolves
into anarchy."
from Bob Beltz's adaptation
of a remarkable read,
Real Christianity,
by William Wilberforce
and we're back....to the return of Wilberforce. And what a force for good he was, indeed.
little ole' G thing has relied upon the brilliance of Wilberforce to fulfill the duties of making a point many times before, especially circa the olden days of yore; maybe mosey your way back to a day, or two, just for kicks and giggles, starting here:
11/8/10;
11/17/10;
11/29/10;
9/16/11.
[the vintage speaks for itself, considering they were all written in a day before each blog was donned a title to fit the day's scene, as in, "IT's a (fill in the blank) Thing."]
As I was rambling through a string of happy things on November 29, 2010, this moment jumped out:
It's crazy how Christianity -- praying in general or in the particular, praying in a church or in the town square or at the foot of one's own bed at the end of the day -- has become so out of vogue in America.
Now, if you wandered back to the days of yore, citing Wilberforce, then you would know that Wilberforce was addressing a world two hundred years ago, give or take. And the real Christianity kicker -- all of it, and pretty much everything this Brit said, is still relevant today; and perhaps even more so!
A local preacher, Dr. David Jeremiah, is beginning a new series, based upon his latest book: A Life Beyond Amazing. The running theme is based upon nine pillars of character that carry the trans-formative power to change our life, our world: love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and self-discipline.
All of it ties into what Wilberforce refers to as the "public spirit" and amounts to the overarching desire of creating and instilling and growing and investing in things of character, in order to multiply it...like in a seven billion fold kind of way.
But the truth is, we must start small.
We must start with the power of one -- that is, by definition, you and me, individually and collectively, rich or poor, white, black, brown, boy or girl, young and old alike.
Dr. Jeremiah uses self-discipline to anchor his entire list; and of course, this girl got to thinking....
as society has grown more and more rooted in selfishness, the values of old -- with self-discipline at the core -- have grown tired and worn, like an old pair of shoes off the beaten path and retired to the back of the closet. The shoes that once met the day buckled up and fully equipped to march through the day of a certain understanding, a certain reverence to a Higher Power, taking heed to that which a life in faith requires of us, both in spirit and in action, are shamed to a life unseen; if they dare poke out the toe into the public eye, they are met with vitriol and mainstream madness, even labeled haters, racists, and driven back into the dark, cedar-lined walls shaking in fear or worse, in unconscionable embarrassment.
Our founders based our entire government on the righteousness of good self-discipline -- and this notion easily lends itself to everything else "self" oriented, things that this nation would be wise to cling to right about now.
For Good Self-Discipline feeds into the broader sense of Good Self-Government for the benefit of the whole. IN order to have good self-government, we must be in a word -- SELF-Conscious, fully understanding of who we are and where we came from, respective of our natural birth under God. It's the kind of self-knowledge with the capacity to set us free, forever.
Good and decent Self-Government -- the very basis of our system of government, built into the cornerstones of our fine republic -- also relied upon self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-will, self-improvement, self-esteem, being fully self-driven and independent! Dependency upon big government simply did not exist in the minds of our founders in any way, shape or form! (That would have been totally and woefully too self-defeating for words, right.)
self-taught, to one degree or another
self-respect to grow in accordance with our level of integrity...to self, to life, and the greater good
self-confidence to propel us to do good things
self-expression to bring beauty, substance, into our community and the world
self-rule to guard what goes in and what goes out, like a castle --- day in and day out -- mind, body and soul, it is a never-ending task forever after.
these are the kinds of things that determine our destiny, for one and for all.
Which surely suggests for a sharp review of something candidate Barack Obama once said to a nation, "we are five days away from fundamental transformation." And how, now seeing the results of those eight years, and never to get them back.
What happened, right Hillary? teehee
From the ole' G Thing, September 16, 2011:
Whether in brand new shoes, or of old, this individual relationship with the Source of All Good -- stood unshaken, above all else! Our personal selfishness was seen in the ways we elevated this relationship above all else! Our time set aside to pray, to read the Bible, to read spiritual works written by spiritual men and women, was time set aside in loving devotion, no matter the demands on the day, above all else!
Is it any surprise, that as the day grows leaner, and meaner, and more and more self-centered and self-gratifying, the occasion to stop and spend even a moment with our Creator grows more and more below all else?
The more we go down the secular path, the more we wander and roam untethered to the only reality that truly matters; being completely unbalanced, we will surely fall. Surely, the greater good is at stake!
Wilberforce wrote about it way back when in the 1800's, just as we are seeing it play out today, after a long and winding road, in the new modern world. Can you hear me now? Smart phones got nothing on the Smart One, the Creator of all things large and small. It's an equal opportunity Creator in every way -- the non-partisan, non-denominational, non-discriminating, non-violent, and lovingly, non-negotiable Entity that It is.... Above All Else!
and that's not hate; it's just a given.
Make it a Good Day, G
little ole' G thing has relied upon the brilliance of Wilberforce to fulfill the duties of making a point many times before, especially circa the olden days of yore; maybe mosey your way back to a day, or two, just for kicks and giggles, starting here:
11/8/10;
11/17/10;
11/29/10;
9/16/11.
[the vintage speaks for itself, considering they were all written in a day before each blog was donned a title to fit the day's scene, as in, "IT's a (fill in the blank) Thing."]
As I was rambling through a string of happy things on November 29, 2010, this moment jumped out:
"I am happy, that when it came time to saying our prayers last night, my girl piped up and said "for Korea...both of them" -- and expanding on that with a question to me, asking if it was appropriate to pray for North Korea, too? To which I said, "of course, and maybe more so"...distracted by some kind of Godfather flashback in my mind, "keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer." And if the good Lord willing, maybe they will change their ways, saying a little prayer couldn't hurt (good news, free will leans both ways -- bad news, free will leans both ways)."So you're welcome; two girls prayed one night and kept North Korea at bay for nearly seven years. teehee; guess it becomes immediate grounds to pray unceasing.
It's crazy how Christianity -- praying in general or in the particular, praying in a church or in the town square or at the foot of one's own bed at the end of the day -- has become so out of vogue in America.
Now, if you wandered back to the days of yore, citing Wilberforce, then you would know that Wilberforce was addressing a world two hundred years ago, give or take. And the real Christianity kicker -- all of it, and pretty much everything this Brit said, is still relevant today; and perhaps even more so!
"It would seen that the best view of patriotism recognizes that society and all its numerous elements are best served when the general welfare of the greatest number of people becomes the great objective of all its people, rather than the selfish pursuit of personal peace and affluence of the individual. A proper response to the call of Christ to love all men, even one's enemies, should produce this outcome in a truly Christian culture. Universal love produces the highest form of patriotism. Benevolence and philanthropy that arise from a purely secular framework usually proves deficient: They always fall short of meeting the full needs of those they seek to benefit. Cost is always measured against the discomfort that such benevolence might produce in the giver. True Christian benevolence goes the extra mile. Its objective is to meet the need even at the cost of self-sacrifice. It is like an infection -- a good infection -- that first influences its immediate surroundings and then begins to spread outward in ever-increasing circles....
Christianity has no equal. It not only teaches the highest moral and ethical code known to man, but through relationship with the Creator of the code the believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to keep it.
True Christianity, by nature, seems to be particularly and powerfully constituted to promote the welfare and health of political communities. Why is that? The reality is that all other systems are rooted in human selfishness. They are conceived in selfishness, grow in selfishness and ultimately, perish because of selfishness."oh talk to me, WW, as we wander down this road hand in hand.
A local preacher, Dr. David Jeremiah, is beginning a new series, based upon his latest book: A Life Beyond Amazing. The running theme is based upon nine pillars of character that carry the trans-formative power to change our life, our world: love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and self-discipline.
All of it ties into what Wilberforce refers to as the "public spirit" and amounts to the overarching desire of creating and instilling and growing and investing in things of character, in order to multiply it...like in a seven billion fold kind of way.
But the truth is, we must start small.
We must start with the power of one -- that is, by definition, you and me, individually and collectively, rich or poor, white, black, brown, boy or girl, young and old alike.
Dr. Jeremiah uses self-discipline to anchor his entire list; and of course, this girl got to thinking....
as society has grown more and more rooted in selfishness, the values of old -- with self-discipline at the core -- have grown tired and worn, like an old pair of shoes off the beaten path and retired to the back of the closet. The shoes that once met the day buckled up and fully equipped to march through the day of a certain understanding, a certain reverence to a Higher Power, taking heed to that which a life in faith requires of us, both in spirit and in action, are shamed to a life unseen; if they dare poke out the toe into the public eye, they are met with vitriol and mainstream madness, even labeled haters, racists, and driven back into the dark, cedar-lined walls shaking in fear or worse, in unconscionable embarrassment.
Our founders based our entire government on the righteousness of good self-discipline -- and this notion easily lends itself to everything else "self" oriented, things that this nation would be wise to cling to right about now.
Might as well be bold here and move to say that, this list, the string of selfies this girl is about to give you, carries the trans-formative power to change the world, oh yes indeed!
For Good Self-Discipline feeds into the broader sense of Good Self-Government for the benefit of the whole. IN order to have good self-government, we must be in a word -- SELF-Conscious, fully understanding of who we are and where we came from, respective of our natural birth under God. It's the kind of self-knowledge with the capacity to set us free, forever.
Good and decent Self-Government -- the very basis of our system of government, built into the cornerstones of our fine republic -- also relied upon self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-will, self-improvement, self-esteem, being fully self-driven and independent! Dependency upon big government simply did not exist in the minds of our founders in any way, shape or form! (That would have been totally and woefully too self-defeating for words, right.)
self-taught, to one degree or another
self-respect to grow in accordance with our level of integrity...to self, to life, and the greater good
self-confidence to propel us to do good things
self-expression to bring beauty, substance, into our community and the world
self-rule to guard what goes in and what goes out, like a castle --- day in and day out -- mind, body and soul, it is a never-ending task forever after.
these are the kinds of things that determine our destiny, for one and for all.
Which surely suggests for a sharp review of something candidate Barack Obama once said to a nation, "we are five days away from fundamental transformation." And how, now seeing the results of those eight years, and never to get them back.
What happened, right Hillary? teehee
From the ole' G Thing, September 16, 2011:
"Our founders made America a place for religious freedom ABOVE all else. It was the very reason we had to leave England and find a new land in order to create a new world.
The "free exercise thereof" was divined within the framework of our founding documents, namely our Constitution, not as an insignificant gesture, or platform, banking upon the hope that no one would ever live according to one's beliefs -- it was real. Our founders hoped we would keep our faith in something much greater than ourselves and let that Something rise above, if not truly guide us in our every day.
This "free exercise thereof" lawfully protected all citizens to have the right to exercise their full liberty to speak their truth. While, to be sure, to exercise thereof is hardly stagnant; it is solidifying the real action required of us."Our connection with the Divine Providence that set America on this path, is self-evident!
Whether in brand new shoes, or of old, this individual relationship with the Source of All Good -- stood unshaken, above all else! Our personal selfishness was seen in the ways we elevated this relationship above all else! Our time set aside to pray, to read the Bible, to read spiritual works written by spiritual men and women, was time set aside in loving devotion, no matter the demands on the day, above all else!
Is it any surprise, that as the day grows leaner, and meaner, and more and more self-centered and self-gratifying, the occasion to stop and spend even a moment with our Creator grows more and more below all else?
The more we go down the secular path, the more we wander and roam untethered to the only reality that truly matters; being completely unbalanced, we will surely fall. Surely, the greater good is at stake!
Wilberforce wrote about it way back when in the 1800's, just as we are seeing it play out today, after a long and winding road, in the new modern world. Can you hear me now? Smart phones got nothing on the Smart One, the Creator of all things large and small. It's an equal opportunity Creator in every way -- the non-partisan, non-denominational, non-discriminating, non-violent, and lovingly, non-negotiable Entity that It is.... Above All Else!
"Political decay can thrive under cultural Christianity, but authentic faith will bring it to a sudden halt...We are headed toward a society that incurs the multitude of evils that result from living with no religion at all."The thing is, we will self-destruct if we continue down this path.
and that's not hate; it's just a given.
...I shall be telling this with a sighThat's just the end of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost; making it the end of the road for me, for today. This is where I must leave you, unless you take my hand and come along with me in Spirit...and surely, I hope you do.
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Make it a Good Day, G
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment