Canto
XVIII
Gangster
Gospel
Canto XVIII
Petrus Romanus
New World Disorder
Now that we have identified the problem, what is the solution? What do we do to become cured of addiction? I don't like the term mental disorder. Order (or lack of it) speaks to behavior which can be subjective. Thelonious Monk is a genius precisely because he defied order, and if we make a virtue out of orderliness, we'll have a culture full of orderlies taking orders from a warden. But the greatness of America is its renegade spirit and fierce individuality. From Protestant Puritans to trail-blazing pioneers, Americans in every epoch have always had a pension for invention and an eye toward the Western sky. But the concept of mental disorder is contrary to our national character at best and at worst, it is a subtle racial sleight -- a holdover from the days when European society was very rigid and structured and used that as evidence of a natural ethnic superiority.
So instead of framing insanity in stuffed-shirt culturally-elitist notions of order vs. disorder, let's speak of insanity in terms of suffering and alleviation.
Now what constitutes suffering? If a person smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish and swears like a sailor, and if he's happy living that way, then he's not suffering -- leave him be! But if a 125-pound women pukes her peas because she thinks she's too fat, it's time to call Houston because we have a problem. Likewise, if an actor behaves like a horrendous gaywad for the sequel to Milk (maybe they can call it 'Milk 2%'), there's no need to question his sanity; but if a man marries a woman, has kids, and yet secretly harbors feelings for other men, hose him down -- he's on fire!
In either instance, it's not the behavior that's the problem; it's the suffering. That's because mental illness is a matter of the heart, not the body -- and it can only be cured in the heart:
(Ps 51:10-12) Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Now just as a drunk doesn't know that they're drunk while they're drunk, a sinner doesn't know that they're a sinner until they confess. That's why confession is necessary for salvation. Another word for confession is baptism:
(Matt 3:11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
If a man doesn't confess his sins, his own biochemistry will kill him. It's not "children in the eyes of an angry God!" God doesn't kill people; people kill people! This world is our hell and divine recompense is nothing more than a metaphor for natural recompense. It is sin that kills, not God's wrath! Nobody killed Judas, he hanged himself in his own bio-fluid (the field of blood) and so shall it be with all non-repentant!:
(Deut 24:16) The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Now all Christians are schizophrenics; when you're born again, you take on a new persona which may come into conflict with the old self. That would be MPD; a split personality. Non-Christians don't experience this phenomenon -- nor does God. But if all the world is crazy, then who's in our asylums? Nevertheless, in a world where all are born sinning, it's the born-again Jesus-freaks who survive because they reject their sin-toxins through the cleansing of Jesus' blood. It's as if the villain of the first Terminator movie becomes the hero in the sequel, extending his hand to a skeptical Sarah Connor with the words "Come with me if you want to live." But unlike the real Terminator, this sequel's better than the original! Hasta la vista, baby!
Nevertheless, there is a kind of suffering to which non-Christians are perpetually aloof; they will never understand true guilt, because they do not confess their sins. Likewise, there is a peace that non-Christians will never attain to; the love of God and the salvation of Christ which liberates the soul and resurrects the flesh. Non-Christians cannot be cured of their sin-disease; they were born sinning and will die sinning for the sake of the elect. But there is no physiological difference between Christians and non-Christians. The human body was formed in perfection and the sin-toxin released at birth; even if you convert at the age of two, you're flesh will still die -- a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Gal 5:9), but the power of the Resurrection has given us new and incorruptible bodies:
(1 Cor 15:43-45) It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Non-Christians live in a thoroughly absurd world from which death is the only escape. But where Christians hope; demons cope, having their faces turned from the light of the gospel in obedience to the Circumcision. On earth, these gravitate toward legalistic religions and mechanistic cosmologies which engender slavery and death; they are the stiff-necked children of the devil who continually die for lack of knowledge without God in the world. Nor can they even bring themselves to say the word G-d or draw a cartoon character of him, having been estranged from the Universe and cast off from the commonwealth of Israel.
But in this world, mental disorder is not the disease, it's the cure!:
(Matt 16:24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
The 12-Schlep Program
12-step programs are fine so long as we recognize that there is but one step to total mind-body healing: embrace Christ! But the Cult of Helplessness offers a different solution: convince the Universe that suffering is normal and death-to-be-embraced, while dispensing the I'm-okay-you're-okay snake-oil of miseducation, civil litigation, destigmatization, and guilt mitigation. Gay liberation is neither gay nor liberating -- it's like we're getting f*cked with two dicks!
Meanwhile, the false deliverance meated out by the purveyors of perdition only serves to heighten the suffering while at the same time masking its underlying causes:
POP QUIZ: If a man is drowning, do you...
A) Toss him a pair of goggles.
B) Get him out of the water.
Now all mental anguish has one cause; and that cause is fear. If you have a phobia, it is because you fear something happening; if you have a compulsion, it is because you fear something not happening. Fear can be likened to a magnet whose north pole is compulsion and whose south pole is repulsion. Cure the fear and heal the mind. But what can cure fear? -- faith!:
(2 Tim 1:7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Fear has nothing to do with reality. That's why it's an irrational fear. If you fear a mouse, it has nothing to do with the mouse; it has to do with you. You make a choice to fear. A different mouse in a different place might illicit a different reaction from you, perhaps even a lesser apprehension or none at all! It's up to you. You have control over your mind and the ability to heal your own mind through the power of faith:
(Matt 9:22) Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Not only can faith heal mental illness, but because your mind controls your biochemistry, your faith can also cure your physical body as well. Faith healings happen all the time, and even medical science has proven a link between prayer and faster recovery times. Likewise, you can make yourself physically ill by the power of your mind. You can even kill yourself by sheer thought:
(Luke 21:25) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 6Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:
Another word for fear is sin. But if you don't like the 'religious' term, then let's just call it fear.
But what is fear? Fear is a mystery. Because the Blessed Virgin doesn't fear, she has no idea what fear is; but she, in Christ, does know all too well what fear does:
(Matt 27:46) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
(Rev 17:5) MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Because God has no clue as to what fear is, it is up to us to educate her on this matter. So let's give it the old college try:
You can't reason with fear any more than you can negotiate with a terrorist! There is no method to madness and no 12-step panacea! You have heard it said that all things are possible to him who believes; but so too are all things possible to him who doubts!
Now the symptoms of fear can include shaking, sweating, headaches, nausea, etc. But anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide are not symptoms! -- they are the causes! Only you can make yourself anxious, and only you can cure it through faith in the cross! Christianity is not a religion; and love is not a behavior -- but true faith loves God more than life itself; like the real Peter who endured viscous martyrdom for the sake of the gospel. Let us never forget that when Jesus said "Take up thy cross and follow me," he was speaking to a first century audience!:
(Matt 16:25) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
And yet we each have our own cross to bear, but true love has a fire -- a zeal! True love questions oneself without doubting oneself. True love takes nothing for granted unless it's granted for nothing! But it is the intention and not the act that matters -- it's not about giving to charity, it's about giving with charity!:
(1 Cor 13:3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
It is impossible to love your neighbor apart from monotheism. Without a Godfather, love is insignificant, lacking justification. You would have to choose which of the gods to follow, and if you picked the wrong god, you might find yourself up Styx creek! But the God of gods, who's justice engenders justification and who's spirit tempers it with mercy, has guaranteed both the legitimacy and efficacy of love by the power of Christ's name. But love apart from grace through the faith in the Resurrection does not exist -- cannot!; it is impossible to worship an un-resurrected Universe! Even Christ himself was conceived Immaculate, owing his very ministry to his own blood!:
(Matt 3:14) But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Fear and addiction know no bounds. There is nothing in the universe you can't fear and nothing in the universe you can't become addicted to. But love that is perfect casteth out both fear and addiction.
I gave myself to Christ on 1 June 2001 and I still struggle with sin everyday. But though I am less atrocious now than I was then (if you can imagine!), I am no more well. Maybe I've got the perfect combination of a clean heart and a dirty mind!:
(1 Cor 1:26-9) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
But nevertheless, I have managed to glean some wisdom in my struggle to reform myself (as well as my quest for truth). This doctrine is not for the squeamish, but rather it is for people who aren't afraid to ask questions and hold scripture up to the light! If there's anything wrong with scripture, I'll be the first to deny it; but so far (and after almost three readings), I have yet to find anything which contradicts truth (and I base my faith entirely on reason and logic, rebuking the Blessed Virgin herself at times). The Protestants like to say sola fide; but in Trenchtown, we say 'Ready fi'dead!'
But knowledge is not a cure. Though I have all knowledge and knoweth all mysteries (and even where the restrooms are in heaven), and can speak with the tongues of angels while chewing gum and whistling Dixie, and can solve a Rubik's cube while locating your G-spot, it profits me nothing if I don't love God -- and I know that I don't love God whenever I fear, which is a constant battle -- but to a psychiatrist, I come across as stark-raving mad!:
(Rom 7:15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Now the charismatic encouragement types (like Meyer and Osteen) often are berated by conservatives for their 'practical' self-help repartee (as if there were anything wrong with that!) But at the risk of 'watering down the gospel,' I submit my own 12-schlep program for total mind-body healing:
SCHLEP 1: Admit it -- you did it. Drugs, sex and alcohol have nothing to do with your addiction. It's about you! It's ALWAYS about you! Drop the chalupa!
SCHLEP 2: Stupid is as stupid does. If a vampire stops sucking blood, he ain't a vampire no more! Likewise, you are what you do, not what you did:
(Matt 7:18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
So if you're not sodomizing someone right this moment, you're not a fruit!
SCHLEP 3: Get over it. Slychiatrists try to allay guilt through the enabling of sin. In their minds, guilt is symptomatic of a conflict between the pleasure principle and the superego. But in reality, guilt is a form of pleasure -- albeit a sinful one. A righteous man feels no guilt, but confesses his sins to a forgiving God who takes away sin and guilt by the power of his blood. This is true liberation -- but slychiatry offers the false redemption of obfuscating guilt by the denial of free will and personal responsibility. But this a lie! An ABSOLUTE and unmitigated lie! You are what you are, and if you can think it, you can be it! It just takes faith!
But the devil-spawn APA beast of the antichrist would subvert your minds and deny your liberty to the detriment of your mental health, and to the destruction of your flesh! They have announced their intentions and have not denied it! They want to kill you from the inside, convincing you to accept your own death, thereby releasing the biochemical sin-toxins which will inevitably kill you!:
THE FIVE STAGES OF DEATH
I. Denial
II. Anger
III. Bargaining
IV. Depression
V. Acceptance
Now if you reverse the literal meanings of the five stages of death, you wind up with a very interesting corollary -- what I like to call, The Five Stages of Life:
I. Confession
II. Humility
III. Sacrifice
IV. Joy
V. Thanksgiving
Embrace life without guilt! Jesus took all of it away so that there is no more condemnation. If society ridicules you for confessing Christ, they are on the wrong side of justice since all have fallen short of the glory of God. But if you continue to wallow in guilt, you implicate Christ! -- it's as if you're blaming God for saving you; but you can't judge Jesus twice -- that would be double jeopardy!:
(2 Cor 7:10-11) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Christianity is not about being good; it's about being right. The Passion of the Christ is not at all good, but it is right; and it is the righteousness of God that is goodness toward men. But guilt rejects both goodness and righteousness, even our Lord Christ!:
(Luke 5:8) When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
SCHLEP 4: You gotta' have faith. Because all compulsions, fears and addictions are a matter of the heart, it must be addressed there; but slychiatrists believe in chemical causes and chemical cures.
But is it the chemicals that cure the condition, or the confidence of the patient taking them? And if it's the confidence, then couldn't we just dispense with the magic feather altogether?
Jesus saw a lame man lying next to an enchanted pool, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years:
(John 5:6-9) When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked:
The name of the pool: Bethesda!
SCHLEP 5: Fighting Temptations. So now you've given yourself to Christ, but the physical sensations associated with the release of sin-toxins are a constant reminder of your sin. The only way to ameliorate this maddening sensation of illicit desire is to consummate it; but if you cave into it, you'll be damned! Welcome to the good fight of faith, private Benjamin!:
(Gal 5:16-17) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
First, understand that this sensation has nothing to do with you, it is your flesh. If you hear a bell whenever you eat, after you have sublimated the association of food with bell, you will probably (but not at all definitely) obey that association. Not a problem! -- there are good habits, and without them, we would never learn anything because language, art, music, mathematics, and all facets of human existence require the acquisition, sublimation and continuation of thought patterns. That's called, being human.
There are natural patterns as well -- just look inside any conch shell! The Universe is grammatical wherefore intelligence requires linguistic communication which itself necessitates pattern and continuity -- precept upon precept; line upon line -- you might say, we're living in a 'patternal' Universe!
The problem is not that we have habits; it's which habits we have! Good habits are conducive of life and joy; bad habits are conducive of death and misery. When we sin -- and we all have!, we instigate a pattern in our subliminal consciousness which we subsequently follow to our own detriment as well as to the detriment of Christ. When we repent, we find ourselves embroiled in a seemingly endless (and oftentimes disheartening) struggle to break free from the motions of sin:
(Rom 7:20, 22-24) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
There's no easy solution to this dilemma. You just have to tough it out. Remember Jesus who withstood his passion without sinning and contemplate the suffering of the people your sins victimized and the Blessed Virgin who witnesses the horror of your sin with perpetual and unflinching omniscience and yet does not sin herself, nor does she hold your sin against you.
SCHLEP 6: Take your meds. Everyone has their own fight and for some, the ravages of sin have contaminated their brains to the point where medication is in order, and if so, please take it. I know the feeling that just comes and overwhelms you like a wave. I know the seemingly uncontrollable fits of laughter and the sudden debilitating crashes of despair. I know what it's like to pray for quick death. Let there be no social stigma attached to anyone being treated for the biochemical ravages of sin, as long as it is understood that the crutch of medication is a tourniquet, not a cure; and that it is ultimately ourselves who are responsible for our decisions, not our bodies.
In truth, everything we digest has some impact on brain chemistry; and a healthy diet and exercise regime can assist in the process of stabilization after a traumatic experience. But some people put themselves through the health ringer in order to avoid Alzheimer's and outlive Methuselah, while negating the effects of diet and exercise through an unclean thought life. But if you ask anyone over the age of 100 what's the secret to their longevity, they'll always tell you it's clean living!
Of course, abusers of drugs have a tougher battle. Not only must they battle their own biochemical sin-toxins, but they must also struggle against the toxins of the drugs they're struggling to break free from. Then there are the outside social ramifications of their addiction, not to mention the heart-crushing relapses. To you, I pray to the fighting angel Michael (who did battle with Satan) that a nation will be roused to the cause of vanquishing drug, alcohol and nicotine addiction, and that you're experiences will better equip you should you have the privilege of taking part in this vital ministry.
SCHLEP 7: Fast and pray. One look at me and you can tell that I've spent a lot less time fasting and praying and a lot more time praying fast! But there are other kinds of fasting.
Television can be a drug. There's a lot of information coming at you real fast and if you're not the model of mental discipline, there's an opportunity to become beguiled by the devil. I gave up TV after I converted for about 2 years and what did I miss? Operation Iraqi Freedom?
On 9/11, I ate lunch with the choir director of Los Angeles Christian Presbyterian Church at a Thai restaurant in West LA. It was packed and I heard later that all LA restaurants did well on that day. Maybe people want to be with other people in times like these. Maybe people need ice cream after a surgery. Maybe it was a Passover in peanut sauce. As we ate, the televisions were tuned to CNN, the estimated body-count rolling over to ever higher figures (like the odometer on Satan's Saturn). I couldn't watch; and yet with the implosion of those towers came a reassurance -- a new hope! As burning bodies leapt to their deaths, I saw my own sins being taken away -- me and Gary Condit... Sometimes, it's good to turn off the TV for a while -- call it station identification.
SCHLEP 8: Think deliberately. Because the spirit can travel at the speed of light, you have the ability to think at the speed of light. The language of thought is Hebrew, but that raw Hebrew is codified into English (or some other tongue). I have speculated that before it reaches the English stage, it passes through precursory stages -- more specifically, Greek and Latin. The Spirit says this is the case, but I'm not that attuned to my thoughts at this point to be able to tell. Nevertheless, this wouldn't be the tongue languages of Greek and Latin, but the raw 'protolinguistic' archetypes.
There are no 'repressed' or 'hidden' thoughts. Because you think in a different language than you speak (perhaps even more than one different protolanguage?), and because you think at fantastic speeds, it may appear as if you are out-of-control. Add to that, the fact that the Blessed Virgin is constantly and necessarily inspiring your thoughts, though you have the autonomous prerogative to shape the direction of that inspiration or reject it altogether. (You inspire the Blessed Virgin as well whenever you pray - and she never disobeys them unless it's for your ultimate good). You are who you are (and you know who you are); neither are there any 'repressed' instincts or drives or anything else that evades the purview of your own conscious awareness. So emancipate yourself from mental slavery; none but yourself can free your mind!:
(Phil 4:8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
SCHLEP 9: Past is not Prologue. Just because you messed up today, doesn't mean you'll mess up tomorrow; just because you did well today, doesn't mean you'll do well tomorrow. Every second is a second chance, and if you can learn to live life moment-to-moment, you'll soon discover that there's no time like the present. You are not the person you were, and you won't become the person you fear becoming. There just isn't enough time in the here-and-now to worry about the there-and-when, so take life as it comes and carpe diem!
SCHLEP 10: Rejoice in Failure. This may sound counterintuitive, but even your lapses have a purpose in the grand scheme of things. If we never sinned, we would never have been ejected from Eden, and we do not rejoice for that original failure; but were God to rapture up every Christian the moment that they're born again, the 'left-behind' types would inhabit a much more severe reality; therefore, God left us behind temporarily in order to minister to the world of sin that our initial rebellion instigated.
We're on the front lines of the heavenly rebellion; and Judas is our enemy for the sake of the gospel -- but without him, there is no gospel! He is a victim of our original sin inasmuch as Christ:
(Ac 1:16-17) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
There is only one sin and only one baptism for the remission of sins, but unless you're a maniac Dudley Do-Right, we oftentimes find ourselves constantly relapsing and being renewed to the faith. However it is possible to stop sinning for long stretches of time, even for all eternity! But since eternity never exactly comes, it is impossible even for the Blessed Virgin to tell whether or not we will ever attain a level of unrelapsing obedience:
(Matt 20:20-21, 23) Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Relapses can be disheartening, but not if we can see them as necessary for the purpose of the gospel; our failings provide ministry opportunities that we otherwise wouldn't have had. Or else the Blessed Virgin ushers us into Paradise the instant we're saved and denies us the privilege of ministering to our friends, relatives -- even our enemies! I can imagine how much more difficult it is to relapse in Paradise as the only people there are Christians and Christians have demonstrated a great capacity to be holy and good even in this life! Here, we are wheat among tares; there, we are catchers in the rye!
SCHLEP 11: Don't even go there. When Lot fled Sodom with his wife and daughters, he was instructed by the angels not to look back at the destruction. Similarly, we should avoid situations which vex our minds and tempt our hearts.
If you're gay repentant, don't go to gay clubs or have relationships with other gays. If you look gay (or butch-lesbian) by reason of biochemical contamination of your flesh, don't look at yourself in the mirror until you get to heaven and receive a new body. These are suggestions, not commands.
If you're an alcoholic, try to avoid situations where you might be tempted to drink; same thing goes for other substance abusers. If you have a phobia, avoid situations where you might relapse. If you've got anorexia, don't weigh yourself. If you're a veteran with PTSD, don't watch war movies or talk about what happened over there. Tell your family never to ask about it. Let go and let God.
Of course, these are suggestions, not commands. During the course of your earthly ministry, you may find it advantageous to avail yourself to situations wherein you might find yourself tempted. Furthermore, it is entirely faithless to assume that you would be tempted in any given situation; nor is everyone graced with the same level of spiritual toughness. Nevertheless, wisdom informs us that men (by nature) are creatures of habit, given to the repetition of patterns whether they be edifying or deleterious.
The term relapse is somewhat of a misnomer in a Universe where nothing repeats or can. So don't fear relapses; lightening will never strike in the same place twice and each subsequent sin is entirely different than the one preceding (though the fear which provoked it is always the same). But the Blessed Virgin permits you (where ever possible) to avoid those things which formerly vexed you in righteousness and without any faithless (and specious) presumption that you may relapse:
(Ps 1:1-3) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
SCHLEP 12: Bless Jesus. Relish the victory! You've made it into heaven by virtue of your faith in Jesus Christ! Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! -- and no 12-schlep program would be complete without a certificate of completion:
(1 Cor 6:9-11) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Now a friend in need is a friend indeed. And there is no greater blessing than to grace others with the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of failure. So by all means, get involved! Take the spotlight off yourself and shine the light on Jesus!
But don't make a devotion out of it! You've got nothing to hide and less to prove! Nevertheless, some weak-minded Christians go to church the same way they take out the trash -- it's just another chore to them! Maybe they're going to chorch! But if you don't like your chorch, then don't bother going; there are other ways to make a contribution (which is your reasonable service!)
Let the Universe be your church! Little league, boy scouts, soup kitchens, mentoring programs -- there's a whole panoply of NJOs (nonjudgmental organizations) where you can get involved and grace someone else with your gifts and talents. You never know -- the life you grace may be your own!
I've heard others say they don't like organized religion, but I have yet to hear anyone define what that is or suggest an alternative. But that's the intention! It's a mean-nothing term that leaves it up to the hearer to attach their own definition. So if the person your evangelizing says they don't like organized religion, tell 'em not to worry, your church doesn't have an organ!
Then there are those who see church as an impediment to personal enjoyment. Nothing could be further from the truth! The whole point of religion is to embrace life and joy! But some churches, whose members are insecure about their salvation, employ rules and regulations (that have nothing to do with God or the Bible) as a means of validating their own faith to the detriment of the more liberated Christians who subsequently become disillusioned by their spooky religiosity. But the righteousness of God is not fettered by the piety of men -- and as far as the Blessed Virgin is concerned, Christianity could do with a lot less hocus-pocus and a bit more hanky-panky!
Nevertheless, it is incumbent on the 'liberated' not to lord liberality over the weaker brothers. We're not all in the same situation with the Spirit. There are many who will read this doctrine and think I'm not a good Christian and become offended by the freedom that is in Christ. But if I were a member of a less liberated church, I would suspend my liberality as did Paul who, unlike the other Apostles, abstained from sexual relations with the women of the congregation for the benefit of the weak:
(1 Cor 9:1, 2-12) Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? 3Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, 4Have we not power to eat and to drink? 5Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
I mean, C'mon! Is it any secret that Peter was kickin' it with Tabitha?:
(Acts 9:40-41) But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41And he gave her his hand,
Riot of Fire
Dear editor,
I would describe this book as
conscious;
My style,
ghetto prophecy
With a sensitive
sensibility
So let me just give you a sense of
my ability
(with all due humility.)
No,
I've never been published, but not for lack of trying.
Trying to get noticed
but no one's buying.
No marketing plan, so I may as well quit.
My readership? -- they's all illiterit!
No Black lit. agencies
(plenty of black publications.)
I aks myself, Warum ist es?
Racist white publishers shun Black talent?
They don't think it'll sell? Oh well!
Did I say sell? I meant cell.
That's why we've got to publish ourcellves!
Or else what?
It ain't like I know nobody!
It ain't like I got no money!
But there's one thing I've got:
And that's a purpose; a mission;
A sense of ambition;
A mystery; a ministry
A spiritual history
A manifest destiny
A legacy (allegedly
with a longtime enemy)
A promise; a praise;
A prize; And yet,
Still, I rise
To find myself primed for battle;
Sharp as steel, pistol-packin'
Like George S. Patton
Or a kid from Scranton watchin' The Muppets,
Ready to take Manhattan.
Did I say The Muppets? or Them uppity people readin'
Grisham 'n Clancy
Forget the Harlem Renaissance
Just give me another Harlequin Necromancy
Or a Stephen King horror about Dora the Explorer
Heard his last one was a snorer!
But the next one should be better: Dial 'M' for Movie!
But it still doesn't move me
To inspire
Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Murder for Hire?
Call me a liar
Or maybe just Elijah
sittin'
in this chariot of fire, spittin'
Wishin' I could afford the whole chariot,
But I can't, so here goes the
Riot of Fire!
Hard-hittin'
Well-written'
Like a bloody mitten
that just ain't fittin'
The jury's acquittin'
and I ain't bull-shittin'
'cuz I've just been smitten
with the writing bug
So I find myself submittin'
this lyrical group hug
to your literary agency
And I just wanna thank you
for readin' this book query, Mrs. Doubtfire.
His Truly,
'Da Prince of Tyre;
Navigation
LORD JESUS CHRIST,SON OF THE FATHER,SEND NOW YOUR SPIRIT OVER THE EARTH.LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVEIN THE HEARTS OF ALL NATIONS,THAT THEY MAY BE PRESERVEDFROM DEGENERATION, DISASTER AND WAR.MAY THE LADY OF ALL NATIONS,WHO ONCE WAS MARY,BE OUR ADVOCATE.AMEN.
LORD JESUS CHRIST,
SON OF THE FATHER,
SEND NOW YOUR SPIRIT OVER THE EARTH.
LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVE
IN THE HEARTS OF ALL NATIONS,
THAT THEY MAY BE PRESERVED
FROM DEGENERATION, DISASTER AND WAR.
MAY THE LADY OF ALL NATIONS,
WHO ONCE WAS MARY,
BE OUR ADVOCATE.
AMEN.
