Smash the alarm clock

I never allow my 4Am alarm to go off…. I wake up a few minutes earlier and turn it off. The idea that an annoying sound is about to deprive me of sleep brings me back from subconsciousness, and while my brain is still loading BIOS, disable the alarm.

This morning at 3.25Am I did not feel like terminating my sleep,  I therefore reasoned with myself….’why get up now? I could wake up an hour later and still make most of the day’s schedule…..’, then, as clear as day, a convincing thought passed through my mind..’ Because you’ve got to pray’…

In the past, I’ve always considered prayer as a personal, non ritualistic communication with God, ever constant and mostly private. I wasn’t too far from my most recent revelation, that you need to make it a habit at the prime of your mental state….mine is early mornings. I find quite meaningful and refreshing to say what is on my mind in the morning, and so far, its proving quite beneficial.

I do the heaviest reading between 3 and 5Am, after that, anything goes….I guess I should apply the same for prayer…

With my soul have I desired you in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek you early: for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness…..Isaiah 26:9

I desire a more personal relationship with God, one that engages my most valued moments, one that engages God in my decision-making process, one that gives me one more reason not to smash my alarm clock!

Tranquil Silence…

Yesterday, on a site visit at work, I had a moment where everything went quiet…silence…..

I was configuring a Cisco router, and that does not require much movement, except on the computer’s keyboard…then it suddenly hit me how silent the room was…you could have heard a pin drop….

My mind wandered to my happy place, where all the sounds and sights of the corporate world fade out, and a serene vista emerges, filling my mind with ease and peace….wow….like picnicking by a brook, or basking on the meadow on a spring morning…..rocking away on the back porch looking at the sunset…wow….

…..then reality showed its ugly face with a distant car horn of an agitated driver, the rave of a race-car engine confirmed that it was only a reverie……drat!

I believe we all need to get away from all the noise around us, such moments bring a heightened sense of focus…to the degree of filtering out the garb and mentally processing what really matters…

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalms 23:1-3

Droid

I want to be a robot. 

Think about it….

They only need a recharge to get going, a few oil checks and firmware upgrades once a month.

They have no code for social interaction, they have no need for intimacy, no need for the complication of relationships…….their purpose is coded in the firmware, or probably on a flash memory sent by the droid admin from a remote socket.

You can not hurt them, you cannot injure them. All their parts are patented and available.

They have no malice, no hate or any intent driven actions. They are accountable only to the droid admin, and because of the SSL encryption, can only be corrupted by the droid admin(I bet a few hackers would like to have a crack at them, but their firewall is quite impressive)

They have no passion in what they do, but will execute all to perfection. No outcome surprises them, as all were pre-calculated.

They can meet the parameters of acceptable social behavior, using a matrix of possible outcomes with a cross reference to society.

They can be funny, as all they would need to do is download a fun app.

They will stay quiet when need be, and entertain when the variables are palatable.

They are smart, all they need is a broadband link to the internet.

Best of all, they would never disobey their droid admin. Therefore, the droid admin becomes responsible for the consequences of their actions.  All he has to do is dump all their logs on cloud, and access them whenever he needs feedback on the latest bug-fix…

I want to be a droid….

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole [duty] of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil….Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Save the World…

Its going to end. Entropy alone dictates it. 

We are quickly depleting all existing natural resources, and creating a huge Eco-imbalance in the process. We release the most harmful by-products from our industrial cauldrons into the air hoping nothing bad will happen soon. We destroy entire forests for real-estate and shift the climatic regions, we increase daily in numbers, thereby multiplying the effects of our deeds accordingly……its only logical, this planet will not be here forever, it’s going to end.

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Peter 3:3-12

Notice how there is no discussion on methods of saving the planet? Its doom is set on stone.

Also notice how we have been cautioned concerning its end…”Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness….?” I find this rather interesting.

Have you ever baked a cake that did not turn our right? It tasted a little too ripe, or sugary, or the mix did not rise as intended, instead, it collapsed into a tasteless wet heap. Well, there’s only one thing to do to it….throw it out and bake another one, making sure not to make the same mistake that led to the undesired outcome. You know where I’m going with this….

Well, someone might suggest that conservationists are wasting their time. That might as well be true, but don’t stop on this account, no one said that you have to be part of the problem, in fact, Christians are urged to show the world an example of what is to come, a race that cares, does no harm and spreads love without reservation.

In the end, the inevitable is true. This world is judged, and its end is set. We don’t have to end with it, there will be a day….

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always …Jeremy Camp

As I was looking out the window in the bus ride to work, I could not imagine it…a world without fear, a world without pain….a world without tears…..man….it must be really something…..can’t wait.. but until that day….I’ll be walking…

Hell Hounds

Yep.

We have a pretty vivid imagination.

A simple Google search spewed a hoard of images that are varied impressions of what we fear most….hell….and of course, its associated monsters.

This particular image was sourced from this page, perhaps you can indulge your interest in the matter.

There’s nothing wrong with imagination, it helps in retaining memory and in the hypnotic occupation of entertainment…..but there are lines to be drawn here.

In the Bible, there are creatures which do not stray far from the imaginative descriptions of hell hounds, but I won’t get into that, I believe that the authors saw what they saw….what is of interest is that the Devil, our mortal enemy, is not quite as elaborately fearful in the Bible as other creatures, he is largely defined as a master of deception, an impostor, a very convincing actor, if you will. He is even defined as an angel in many instances. His most frightening persona is ‘the dragon’, but there isn’t much detail in a fearful description (Revelation 20), his main trait is the skill of lying, deceiving...

Take a look at this..

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13: 34-30

The devil has no interest in looking dangerous and formidable, I believe his most artistically fearful work lies in hiding in plain sight, plugging himself in situations that are construed as healthy and worth while. The guy is like the CIA! The most fearful thing about our enemy is that he knows what trips us up, our weaknesses and vain desires. He preys on us at our weakest point. His agenda is by no means simple, but well structured and effective…. a point to note: Notice how all the evil we label as especially heinous is performed by man toward his fellow man? I think we fit the hell hound description better than the devil!

Bottom line: We are no match for Him..

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal….(Martin Luther)

I submit to you to stop trying to justify seemingly ‘good deeds’. For all we know it could be one of the devil’s elaborate plan to woo you into a corrupt system that would consume you and estrange you from Christ. Instead, focus on what Jesus offers: alienation from this world of sin and impending doom. Like a faithful blade of wheat, grow among the tares, knowing full well you do not share in the same future…

Keep walking, keep growing…..Compared to the devil, a hell hound is the least of your problems…..