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JAMES' PERSONAL WRITINGS: SLOVING
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6.24.2007

"[THE] CROSS [IS] THE VIOLENCE [OF LOVE] THAT WE MUST EACH DO TO OURSELVES" Romero

"[The] cross [is] the violence [of Love] that we must each do to ourselves, to overcome ... such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work." Oscar Romero

The "Cross" is the most perverted of concepts by "A Christian." One who is "Christian," one who has the eyes of Family, of Love sees this in the cross - JOY / LIFE / LOVE / PEACE:
  • "Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." Eleanor Roosevelt;
  • "The joy in life is to be used for a purpose. I want to be used up when I die." George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

I NEVER WANTED ANYTHING FOR "ME" FROM MY 2 SONS

All I ever wanted, ALL I EVER WANTED regarding my biological sons was that they be filled with Joy in their lives. In my experience this is extraordinary, unusual, odd.... Parents want loyalty, tradition, association, respect, relationship.... All I ever wanted was for them to have Joy in their lives. And Joy only comes from doing good for our brothers and sisters.

I think they do for their brothers and sisters. I think they have Joy.

:-)

PS: I pray this grows.

"Life" exists only OUTSIDE of our gated communities / lives

You suspect this don't you? I did all of my "gated community" life [no, there was never a physical "gate" in my case - just miles of wealth and safety separating me from where Life / Need / Purpose lay for me.]

You are right! I was right! Life is found only, ONLY in the face of our "family's" need, EMERGENCY.

I pray that you find the courage of your convictions long before I did, unless you already have.

"Addicted to [our] own place and privilege." Bill Moyers

You'll be really glad if you read this:

Moyers challenges UCC: 'Drive out the money changers'

We don't do what our Heart / Conscience / Still Small Voice tells us to; we don't LIVE what it tells us to do we? WHY? Addiction. Clinical Addiction to:

WHAT IS "NORMAL," "BALANCED" IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL ATROCITY?

My life recently provokes me and others to ask, "is what Start is doing "balanced," "normal."

And of course the answer is no, UNLESS WE SHIFT PERSPECTIVE.

From the perspective of western comfort and affluence, western day to day values what Start is doing is crazy.

From the perspective of our Global Family's Emergency (GFE) Start IS BALANCED, NORMAL, NO?!?!?!?!

100 adults witness the roof of the Elementary School across the street cave in trapping the children. One adult races into the dangerous situation to help. WHO IS UNBALANCED? WHO IS NOT "NORMAL?

THE ALMIGHTY LIES IN THE DIRECTION OF "OVERWHELMING"

This mornings epiphany as I awoke from a long night's sleep:

THE ALMIGHTY (Life, Love, Truth) LIES IN THE DIRECTION OF "OVERWHELMING."

Duh!!!!!!!!! How else would it feel in the face of the Almighty besides Overwhelming??!?!?

In so many ways we feel, 'I can't face Darfur, Palestine, Iraq war, corrupt US Gov, Congo... It is too overwhelming!'

This is to say, "I won't face the Almighty. I'll not go where the Almighty calls me."

6.23.2007

0% of humanity's Greats didn't swim up stream.

If you are not alone, not swimming up-stream, not swimming against the tide... you are probably not going to help us; you are almost certainly not going to change the direction of things.

Can you think of any exceptions? I cannot.

6.22.2007

WE LIVE IN FEAR OF THE WRONG THINGS

Well, this just hit me as I was marching the other day.

I've been pretty influenced by fears most of my life. I now know for certain that I've been lived by the WRONG FEARS:
  • Love & acceptance of my spouse
  • Being married / in a "relationship"
  • Safety
  • Security
  • Respectability
  • Resources
  • Mobility
  • Health care
  • Disappointing our parents, inlaws, families
  • Being "normal"
  • Acceptance by society

I now have experienced, and now I know that: The only fear we should have is not Living the Will of the Almighty (Truth, Love, Life), the Will of Our Father. Why? Why should you not worry about eating at 100 different McDonald's before you die? Start Loving

The fact of death should not sadden us. The only thing that should sadden us is to know that we are not saints. Teresa of Calcutta

"LOVE AND JOY ARE IN SHARING THE EMERGENCY." Start Loving

Love and Joy are in sharing the emergency. No? Start Loving

Love the stranger. Jesus
Love your enemy. Jesus
Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus
Love as I have loved. Jesus

I've long suspected the following but this morning as I marched for Darfur in front of the Chinese Embassy it came clear:
  • WE BELONG IN EMERGENCY: Who needs our help, the sister that is doing fine, or the sister in emergency?
  • OUT OF LOVE WE SHARE THE EMERGENCY OF FAMILY: Who is my neighbor? Jesus answer was the story of the Good Samaritan. Everybody!
  • JOY IS THE RESULT OF SHARING THE EMERGENCY. No?
  • THE MORE NEEDY BROTHERS & SISTERS WE CONNECT TO (WITH is too conditional) THE MORE EMERGENCY WE SHARE IN AND THE MORE JOY IN OUR LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!! BINGO! This is what Jesus was dying to pull us into!

6.20.2007

OUR "IMPACT" EQUALS HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME

If I spend my time selling stuff [adictions] to the materially rich [which is how I spent most of my life], that is what my impact is. Despite how much money I make a give to the "poor" in the process what $ I spend has NOTHING to do with what my impact is.

How can that be?
  • The world is dying for Models of sustanable living, militant loving that results in Peace.
  • The world is clinically sick.
  • The world needs mass Therapy, not more Stuff, Superiority or Systems / Institutions.

"It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing." Teresa of Calcutta

"Aspire not to have more but to be more." Oscar Romero

"The less we have, the more we give. Seems absurd, but it's the logic of love." Teresa of Calcutta

"God does not demand that I be successful. God demands that I be faithful." Teresa of Calcutta

WE EQUAL HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME

"Aspire not to have more but to be more." Oscar Romero

We know that scientists can take our tissue and tell for example whether we are vegitarians or not. We are what we eat. We are, we equal how we spend our time. This is an absolute law. Our nervous system, and our soul is made up of how we spend our time.

"LOVE AND JOY MEAN SHARING THE SAME FATE." Start Loving

"Love... [is] not ... able to avoid making sacrifices." Teresa of Calcutta

"Those committed to the poor must share the same fate as the poor." Oscar Romero

6.19.2007

Transforming "they should" into "I'M GOING TO TRY..."

All I can tell you that I have the most wonderful "Path" finder. When I find myself thinking "they [or s/he] should" I realize that what the Almighty is telling me is that "I'm going to try to do it [fix it, create it...]," OR "I'm going to forget it for now [because it is not important enough.]"

There is no third option given the world's emergency. The Almighty (Love, Life, Truth) are not going to ask me what anyone else did. The Almighty only asks what I did.

Same for you.

PEACEMAKING, THE FINAL FRONTIER...GOING WHERE THIS MAN HAS NEVER GONE BEFORE

I always was drawn to the excitement in our movies and adventure books, TV shows, etc. Star Trek for example. I guess most of us are so drawn or otherwise these stories would not be so successful.

I now live the adventure. PeaceMAKING / Militant Loving / Mass Therapy. Every day. Ahhhhhhhh.

6.18.2007

Teresa: "As you do unto the least of these..."

"Whatever You Did Unto One of the Least, You Did Unto Me"

by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

From the National Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C., February, 1994

"On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, 'Come enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me.' Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, 'Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me.' These will ask Him, 'When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?'. And Jesus will answer then, 'Whatever you neglected to do unto one of the least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!'

"As we have gathered here to pray together, I think it will be beautiful if we begin with a prayer that expresses very well what Jesus wants us to do for the least. St. Francis of Assisi understood very well these words of Jesus and His life is very well expressed by a prayer. And this prayer, which we say every day after Holy Communion, always surprises me very much, because it is very fitting for each one of us. And I always wonder whether 800 years ago when St. Francis lived, they had the same difficulties that we have today. I think that some of you already have this prayer of peace - so we will pray it together.

"Let us thank God for the Opportunity He has given us today to have come here to pray together. We have come here especially to pray for Peace, Joy, and Love. We are reminded that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what is that good news when He said: 'My Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give unto you.' He came not to give the peace of the world which is only that we don't bother each other. He came to give the Peace of heart which comes from loving - from doing good to others.

"And God loved the world so much that He gave His Son - it was a giving. God gave His Son to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with Him? As soon as Jesus came into Mary's life, immediately she went in haste to give that good news. And as she came into the house of her cousin, Elizabeth, Scripture tells us that the unborn child - the child in the womb of Elizabeth - leapt with joy. While still in the womb of Mary - Jesus brought Peace to John the Baptist who leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.

"And as if that were not enough, as if it were not enough that God the Son should become one of us and bring Peace and Joy while still in the womb of Mary, Jesus also died on the Cross to show that greater Love. He died for you and for me, and for that leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street, not only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and everywhere. Our Sisters serve these poor people in 105 countries throughout the world. Jesus insisted that we love one another as He loves each one of us. Jesus gave His Life to love us and He tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes to do good to one another. And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly: 'Love as I have loved you.'

"Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us - to save us from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father's Will - to show us that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God's Will - to love one another as He loves each of us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts.

"It is not enough for us to say: 'I love God', but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.

"It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in His Image for greater things, to love and to be loved. We just 'put on Christ' as Scripture tells us. And so, we have been created to love as He loves us. Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the unwanted one, and He says, "You did it unto Me." On the last day He will say to those on His right, 'Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me', and He will also say to those on His left, 'Whatever you neglected to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for Me'.

"When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, 'I thirst'. Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor or rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others, that they will go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us. This is the meaning of truest love, to give until it hurts.
[ABOVE IS SOME OF THE MOST SACRED WRITING OF ALL TIME.]
[BELOW IS UTTER TRIPE AND ALL BUT DESTROYS THE ENTIRE POTENTIAL VALUE OF TERESA TO HUMANITY]

"I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them - maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything - good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: 'Why do these people, who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?'

"I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said: 'This is the way it is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.' And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that the future of humanity passes through the family." NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. JESUS DIED TO TELL US THAT THERE ARE NO DOUBLE STANDARDS. ALL PEOPLE ARE ONE FAMILY AND WE ARE TO ATTEND TO THE LEAST OF THESE OUR FAMILY - NOT THE NEAREST "BLOOD" "FAMILY" TO US. TERESA AND HER FOLLOWERS DIDN'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE AND NEITHER SHOULD WE.

6.17.2007

From "ME 2 WE." A New Blog

NEW BLOG:


Joy is to Life what Heat is to Electricity

Gladness.

"OUR FATHER... LEAD US NOT INTO ["ME"...]"

"...whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these." USCCB - NAB - John 14 12.

In the spirit of John 14:12 I share what has been revealed to me:

"Our Father... lead us not into ["me"];
But, Deliver us [to "WE," Militant PeaceMaking, Brotherliness, Heaven]..."

better captures what Jesus intended.

"OUR FATHER... DELIVER US [TO "WE;" TO PEACEMAKING]..."

"...whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these." USCCB - NAB - John 14 12.

In the spirit of John 14:12 I share what has been revealed to me:

"Our Father... lead us not into ["me"];
But, Deliver us [to "WE," Militant PeaceMaking, Brotherliness, Heaven]..."

better captures what Jesus intended.

OUR RELIGION WE PRACTICE? PROSTITUTION.

Astonishing. As a professional in the computer industry, for decades I've used and heard the expression "prostituted himself / herself." Have we not all heard that?

Def: a person who willingly uses his or her talent or ability in a base and unworthy way, usually for money.

Well, what does Our Father have to say about this?
  • "Life is given, not for oneself personally, but for the fulfillment of the Father's will, which alone saves from death and gives life." Gospel in Brief
  • "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." USCCB - NAB - Mark 8 34

Are these exhortations from Our Father what we do in our society? Prostitute ourselves is what we do in our society with all the religious fervor we can muster.

NOT "as you do unto the LESSER of these..."

But isn't "lesser" exactly the word whe "hear" when we think of this scripture?

These that follow are who we "do unto," are they not? Are they "the least of these" or "the [LESSER] of these?!?!??!"
  • My bioligical child [who happens to be infinitely better off than most of my 4 billion children?]
  • My demanding wife.
  • My cranky mother.
  • My disgruntled older sister.
  • My boss.
  • My disagreeable co-worker....

Jesus gave us the SOLUTION TO LIFE: "As you do unto the LEAST of these my family you do unto me."

What we COULD pay for with our lives.

Currently we pay for all sorts of stuff with our lives right?
  • Good grades
  • Social acceptance
  • "Family" peace and acceptance
  • Sex (yup). No not necessarily with money. There are lots of way to prostitute ourselves.
  • Promotions.
  • Bigger dwelling.
  • Better school for me and mine.
  • Nicer clothes.
  • Better furniture.
  • Stuff.
  • Superiority.
  • Systems and Institutions.
  • Etc.
  • Etc.

Think of what we could pay for with our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME:

  • End of 18,000 children starving to death per day
  • End the occupation of Palestine
  • End the attrocities in Darfur
  • End the slaughter in Darfur
  • End the suffering and neglect of Katrina
  • End the holocaust in front of us due to global warming
  • Etc.
  • Etc.
  • Etc...

The Empire that is U.S.

It is out of the goodness of our heart that we have in excess of 1000 U.S. military bases around the world right?

It is not so that we can secure / exploit the best resources at the lowest price for US consumers and US capitalist interests. Right? It is the poor and needy in these societies that are benefiting from our presence. Right.

US Military Bases Around the World
by Populist Party
Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 03:36:33 PM PDT

...People in US cities would be outraged if another country garrisoned its troops close by with all the resulting fallout: unacceptable noise, pollution, environmental destruction, appropriation of valued public real estate along with drunken soldiers on the loose violating laws, causing damage and raping local women. Not the kinds of neighbors we choose, especially when they're mostly unaccountable for their actions...

Chalmers Johnson, in his book Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic, reviews the known number of US bases in other countries by size and branch of service. According to the Department of Defense's Base Structure Report through 2005, the official total of all sizes is 737, but so many were built in recent years, Johnson believes the actual number exceeds 1000 and is rising. Unlisted ones includes dozens in Iraq, 106 garrisons in Afghanistan, the gigantic Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo built after the Yugoslav war in 1999, and others in Eastern Europe, Israel, Qatar and other Gulf states plus ongoing negotiations all the time to build new bases in new locations in new and currently "occupied" countries.

Beware of "Twelve Tribes"

Twelve Tribes of Israel is a cult. It broke my heart to discover this. I don't know if they know they are a cult. I don't know if the founders realize it. Oh my. I came within inches of joining them, after months of exploration, prayer. It was only at the last seconds that enough experience had accumulated within me that I could see that they are not about worshiping the Divine, the Almighty, the Father within us, but rather they are about surrendering to the Power Structure they have formed within including their first and second generation of children, some of whom I have witnessed displaying what I can only describe as Naziesque behavior:
  • smiling viciousness visited on a visitor in their presence - a middle aged woman who obviously was damaged by abuse in her life.
  • repeatedly dismissing a wife as one might have expected a black slave to be dismissed by a black hearted master.
  • rank arrogance displayed by the power structure / hierarchy;
  • a hierarchy of approval by their "leader," NOT a hierarchy of Love / Otherishness / Brotherliness....

They do so much correctly - location, simplicity, health.... But as almost all attempts it has been mortally corrupted by the desire of men to control other men, and of course, women.

ML King: "Life's most urgent and persistant question..."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' " Martin Luther King, Jr.

God damn it! We have been so damaged, so corrupted in our ability to communicate / hear.

Don't you hear Dr. King's words, as I did, as a weighty moral commandment?!??!?!?

IT IS A SOLUTION TO LIFE. LIFE! Dr. King, like Jesus, is telling us how to gain the full experience of Life!!! He is giving us the solution! Let's get on with it!!!!!

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' " Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." Eleanor Roosevelt;

"The joy in life is to be used for a purpose. I want to be used up when I die." George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

WE ARE "DYING" FOR MODELS

This is the single greatest problem in the world. How to live joyfully? How to be good? How to "Save" others? How to "Save" ourselves?...

THERE ARE NO MODELS TODAY, VIRTUALLY NONE!

HOW DO WE EXPECT ANYONE TO "GET IT" IF THERE ARE NO MODELS?

WE NEED TO BECOME MODELS, GREAT MODELS.

"Ignorance is bliss..."FUL MASS MURDER!!!!!!!!

Duh!! It is just amazing how diluded we are and how long, oh how long it takes to climb up to the light.

I grew up in a town, Short Hills, among the most wealthy in the world! My mom was a social hub of this town! What blisful ignorance!!!!!!! What blisful blindness!!!!!!

There are two ways to have a world that looks like heaven:
  1. Create Heaven in the material world.
  2. Obscure that which is not Heavenly and construct for YOU AND YOURS the best you can.

JESUS: MUCH "PLANTING." LITTLE "CULTIVATING."

Jesus didn't spend much time in one place, or chasing after folks.

Followers Jesus did spend repeated and considerable time with, but never chasing after followers / disciples I suspect.

Let's do the same.

MUCH "PLANTING."
LITTLE "CULTIVATING."


Why little time "cultivating?" Jesus said it has to do with "many are called, but few are chosen."

HELL = SEPARATION FROM LOVE / LIFE / TRUTH.

I testify that I would die if I returned to my life of Selfishness / Neglect / Indifference / Separation from "the LEAST of these my family." It would be Hell.

I wish I had known this 30 years ago.

MY QUEST: WHAT WOULD HAVE SAVED ME

This site would have Saved me from 30 years of Hell, off of the Path.

Although I expect to spend much time with it, studying it, if I ever forget it, please return me to this site.