I think JC may have been referring to the value that G places in people who struggle. Was he not saying that when you are weak he draws near to you? As a parent cares for an excluded, broken weak and poor child?
I’m struggling with this one – is it a con trick? I remember singing, ‘Let the poor say I am rich’ at Holy Trinity, Brompton in Knightsbridge – what a hoot!
God I’m so depressed tonight..lost all connection.
Broken = whole
I don’t see how
For where are all the pieces now?
Whole = broken
Life we see
Hung in pieces on a tree.
This the whole and this the part
Trampled on and torn apart
Being real we need to be
Ripped open for all to see.
Beneath a torn and bloody sky
Dry bones seek to unify
Waiting for the desert rain
To bring us back to life again.
Whole = broken = whole
This crucifixion of the soul
Holy made and wholey broken
Praying for the skies to open.
Nah, it’s crap but it’s how I feel – miserable cow that I am. I don’t even like rain. I want to write a poem about gin and tonic, but it’s hard to rhyme.
I take it as down here on earth, we might be the negative list or the first list but when we get to Heaven it will all change to the second list or the positive list. I know that I am not perfect here on earth but believe in Heaven I will be like Christ.
Had my surgery yesterday and am doing pretty good today. I had a bad spell a while ago but realised
I needed to take some more pain meds as I had lost track of time. Better now!
What was your surgery for? For extra fun and relaxation try taking your pain meds with gin.
I think the context of those sayings was ‘the Kingdom of God’ so it depends on how you understand that, but Jesus said it was both coming and had already come. I guess it was emergent.
to me this is how God sees his creation. Who Jesus spent time with, who he came for. The main injustice is that it isn’t what actually exists and what we need to work towards little by little one at a time. It’s one of the reasons why so many Missions fail in my eyes. They try to make believers and not spend time enjoying a journey with people. And transforming situations that they are in.
To me one person made stronger, whole, included, and shown that rich doesn’t mean wads of cash is more valuable than 100 shallow conversions.
For me this would be (at least in part) about the need to re-think how we understand the basic shape and meaning of lif. Isn’t that what Jesus himself consistently demonstrated in his own living and what he continually challenges us to do?
No 13….I had hammer toes which is all of my toes except the big one were curling under themselves so they had to go in and break them all and put screws and wires to try to get them to grow out straight again. I have it on the other foot also but not near as bad and it will wait awhile before it will be done.
God is seeing me through it one day at a time and I know it will have to be better!!
My toes did that till I started wearing more sensible shoes and then they spread out more so now my toes are longer. My family used to call them ‘parrot toes’.
This raises the follow-on thought that the radio news wouldn’t be saying all that if it didn’t get ratings to sell advertising.
Which raises the question, why do people prefer, consciously choose, ugliness?
Why do people PAY good money to fill their lives with television and other sources of ugliness? And then use those sources to fill their homes with that ugliness.
Apparently the population as a whole DEMANDS it be supplied with an endless stream of ugliness as it’s inherent right.
That just baffles me to no end.
I do not comprehend why they do that.
Then again, I also don’t understand why smokers hate themselves enough to spend forty years committing slow suicide.
It is an incomprehensible mystery to me.
Except for the “bad is good”, “ugliness is beauty” kind of thing implied by the theme of this cartoon and attendant comment thread.
Television isn’t just a source of ugliness. There are nice programs about gardening and nature and animals and travel. Also comedy. There are some beautiful films and though the news may be ugly, it’s important people aren’t politically ignorant. Depends what sort of news programe you watch, I guess. I like documentaries.
Actually, I don’t watch television, don’t own one. There’s something about some kind of energy sensed coming from it, even when it’s off, that disturbs me – so I won’t have one in my home.
Same kind of energy thing comes from guns – which is ironic since I come from a Navy, Army, Law Enforcement, Secret Service, and hunting family. (interestingly, lotsa those same folks went on to become preachers) And have enjoyed military history. And, I’m a pretty good shot with a rifle or shotgun. Rotten shot with handguns. And am a strong proponent of licensed “Concealed Carry” for self-protection. Just can’t have firearms and/or anything military in my home any more because of that same sensed disturbing energy thing.
Now, why I’m saying all that here on this thread where maybe it’s off topic, who knows: mystery to me but it is what I _need_ to say right here right now.
Go figure.
Actually, I need to “watch my figure” – too much grape soda and chocolate cake as comfort food – that “good is bad” thing again!
Are you American, Forrest? Do you feel the same energy coming from other sorts of electrical equipment? I’m wondering if it’s a form of paranoia, feeling that way about the television.
Don’t think it’s paranoia: have heard and read of other people with similar sensitivities, and also to electrical things in general.
Back when high-tension power lies were first being put up in late Victorian age there were people near them become ill – which we now know was from lines’ electrical fields interfering with human body’s electrical field.
Nothing is neutral about that act, it is a great sin against God who created the victim. The actor is shamelessly destroying God’s property.
Let me say this about that, I went to architecture college at Virginia Tech, (almost 30 years ago now) my stepdaughter lives in Omaha and shops at that mall, I was really wishing there had been someone there on scene who could have stopped the predators before they murdered so many people who had zero hope of protecting themselves from a person deep in sin.
The unbelievable hopelessness the victims must have felt knowing they were defenseless is beyond imagination.
It is cruel beyond definition to force people to be defenseless against predators.
And, remember, predators throughout the natural world prefer, and seek out, the victims who are least likely to do in the predator. It’s easier. The greater potential the prey has to take out the predator, the more the predator leaves that prey alone.
It has been reported that the Department of Justice estimates two million crimes a year simply do not happen after the intended victim reveals the capacity to defend himself or herself; and, in the interest of self-preservation the predator then goes away.
It had happened to my paternal grandfather one night stopped at a traffic light. And he only gave the illusion – laid end of rubber hose on window sill, the carjacker drew a conclusion and left. Would my grandfather have lived till the light changed otherwise?
I’m gonna say bluntly, do not be confusing a tool with the will and acts of its user.
A lot of people make that mistake.
Only people can sin, objects can not. People bent on sinning will use whatever tool is at hand to do so. And they at that point will not care whether any law says they can have that tool or not. they have chosen to sin and they will sin, whatever it takes.
And at this moment, I hear the Life Flight helicopter landing at the hospital across the street.
Is it carrying a defenseless victim of someone’s sin?
They can be used by either those who esteem the laws of God and man or by those who tell God where he can stick it and have even less regard for the laws of man.
And those who do value the laws of God need equal weapons to defend themselves from those who essentially have given God the finger.
(now, there’s a whole ‘nother discussion about the out-of-control arms race, which is largely driven by politicians and industry, with a platter of ethnocentrism on the side)
It is a given that there are people who are committed to doing evil in the sight of God. People who uphold the laws of God and man, even whether they believe in God or not, have a right to be able to protect their lives which God has given them and has said it is sin to take away.
And, no I’m not a bible-thumping right winger as might be inferred from my sayings here – actually I _really_ irritate my father in law who is, and is convinced I’m going to burn!
One more comment and then I’ll shut up on this off topic digression.
Back to the nukes: it is probably safe to say that developments of the ICBM rockets to use them have helped along the rockets we use to lift communication satellites which allow us all to meet here from around the world; to see effects of deforestation and pollution; to learn and study what does affect our climate both from this planet and the sun’s radiations; to save lives predicting severe weather such as where typhoons and hurricanes might go; to aid in safe navigation of ships and planes with their cargoes and passengers. And those handy little GPS gadgets.
Well that’s not much of an argument in their defence. I’m too tired to argue about it. We just don’t have the same attitude towards guns here. The thought of someone carrying a gun – in self-defence or otherwise – is horrifying to us.
I think JC may have been referring to the value that G places in people who struggle. Was he not saying that when you are weak he draws near to you? As a parent cares for an excluded, broken weak and poor child?
Comment by Robb — July 8, 2009 @ 7:45 pm
I do love his sage green cardigan. I like a man in a cardigan – so cuddly.
Comment by Tiggy — July 8, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Zee Kingdom of Got eez fine, eet eez zee kingdom of man zat eez tpozy-turvy
Comment by Forrest — July 8, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
Down side up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-GeQoGm104&feature=PlayList&p=B8155A021BDFAF5C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11
;]
Comment by Luke — July 8, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
I’m struggling with this one – is it a con trick? I remember singing, ‘Let the poor say I am rich’ at Holy Trinity, Brompton in Knightsbridge – what a hoot!
God I’m so depressed tonight..lost all connection.
Comment by Tiggy — July 8, 2009 @ 10:33 pm
down side up
in side out
kingdom of God
turns it all about
world’s going down
needs a way out
someone with the faith
tell it with a shout
Comment by Forrest — July 8, 2009 @ 11:42 pm
Broken = whole
I don’t see how
For where are all the pieces now?
Whole = broken
Life we see
Hung in pieces on a tree.
This the whole and this the part
Trampled on and torn apart
Being real we need to be
Ripped open for all to see.
Beneath a torn and bloody sky
Dry bones seek to unify
Waiting for the desert rain
To bring us back to life again.
Whole = broken = whole
This crucifixion of the soul
Holy made and wholey broken
Praying for the skies to open.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 12:35 am
Hey kid, that’s pretty good!
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 12:39 am
Nah, it’s crap but it’s how I feel – miserable cow that I am. I don’t even like rain. I want to write a poem about gin and tonic, but it’s hard to rhyme.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 12:44 am
I take it as down here on earth, we might be the negative list or the first list but when we get to Heaven it will all change to the second list or the positive list. I know that I am not perfect here on earth but believe in Heaven I will be like Christ.
Comment by bubbybird — July 9, 2009 @ 1:13 am
Had my surgery yesterday and am doing pretty good today. I had a bad spell a while ago but realised
I needed to take some more pain meds as I had lost track of time. Better now!
Comment by bubbybird — July 9, 2009 @ 1:14 am
“Nah, it’s crap but it’s how I feel”
Well, actually, I’m not sorry.
Sorry Tiggy, I’m going to argue with you about that
I got a clear image from it,
it communicated to me.
Now, if it’s congruent with the way you feel, then it is true, and truly you.
Okay, off to paint a model train car I’m giving my wife for our anniversary.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 1:20 am
What was your surgery for? For extra fun and relaxation try taking your pain meds with gin.
I think the context of those sayings was ‘the Kingdom of God’ so it depends on how you understand that, but Jesus said it was both coming and had already come. I guess it was emergent.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 1:20 am
‘emergent’, uhh, I gotta look that up.
Here we go: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emergent
1. emerging; coming into view or into existence; nascent; new.
2. occurring unexpectedly or of an urgent nature.
(now, what’s nascent mean?)
#1. Well, yeah, the Kingdom of God was coming into very clear view with Jesus’ arrival.
#2. And fer sure the Pharisees didn’t expect it to happen right then.
Okay, see where it works.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 1:36 am
Does that mean:
Good = Bad
?
Comment by Miriworm — July 9, 2009 @ 7:38 am
to me this is how God sees his creation. Who Jesus spent time with, who he came for. The main injustice is that it isn’t what actually exists and what we need to work towards little by little one at a time. It’s one of the reasons why so many Missions fail in my eyes. They try to make believers and not spend time enjoying a journey with people. And transforming situations that they are in.
To me one person made stronger, whole, included, and shown that rich doesn’t mean wads of cash is more valuable than 100 shallow conversions.
Comment by Will — July 9, 2009 @ 8:33 am
Will scores a bullseye!
Give that man the William Tell Trophy.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 9:37 am
yup! indeedy! nice one will… well said!
Comment by jonbirch — July 9, 2009 @ 9:43 am
how I love this cartoon! it’s so full of promise; thanks once again Jon and righto..spot on Will!
Comment by HisGal — July 9, 2009 @ 11:12 am
For me this would be (at least in part) about the need to re-think how we understand the basic shape and meaning of lif. Isn’t that what Jesus himself consistently demonstrated in his own living and what he continually challenges us to do?
Comment by Pat — July 9, 2009 @ 11:39 am
Oh…don’t recognise myself with this nice new pattern
Comment by Pat — July 9, 2009 @ 11:41 am
love your poem Tiggy
“Trampled on and torn apart
Being real we need to be”
Comment by subo — July 9, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Feeling better today. Sometimes we just need to grieve. Darkness is light?
‘There is in God – some say – a deep and dazzling darkness.’
(Henry Vaughan)
I even wrote a song about the need to reconnect with our essential selves, our origin, our home.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
No 13….I had hammer toes which is all of my toes except the big one were curling under themselves so they had to go in and break them all and put screws and wires to try to get them to grow out straight again. I have it on the other foot also but not near as bad and it will wait awhile before it will be done.
God is seeing me through it one day at a time and I know it will have to be better!!
Comment by bubbybird — July 9, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
My toes did that till I started wearing more sensible shoes and then they spread out more so now my toes are longer. My family used to call them ‘parrot toes’.
The op sounds horrible. I suppose you can’t walk.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
Golly, man! Turned on the radio, news happened to be on – death, death, death, nothing but death.
Which raises the question of _why_ is death news?
Like the kids said when they wanted something, “It’s no big deal, everybody does it.”
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
This raises the follow-on thought that the radio news wouldn’t be saying all that if it didn’t get ratings to sell advertising.
Which raises the question, why do people prefer, consciously choose, ugliness?
Why do people PAY good money to fill their lives with television and other sources of ugliness? And then use those sources to fill their homes with that ugliness.
Apparently the population as a whole DEMANDS it be supplied with an endless stream of ugliness as it’s inherent right.
That just baffles me to no end.
I do not comprehend why they do that.
Then again, I also don’t understand why smokers hate themselves enough to spend forty years committing slow suicide.
It is an incomprehensible mystery to me.
Except for the “bad is good”, “ugliness is beauty” kind of thing implied by the theme of this cartoon and attendant comment thread.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 5:42 pm
Television isn’t just a source of ugliness. There are nice programs about gardening and nature and animals and travel. Also comedy. There are some beautiful films and though the news may be ugly, it’s important people aren’t politically ignorant. Depends what sort of news programe you watch, I guess. I like documentaries.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
Actually, I don’t watch television, don’t own one. There’s something about some kind of energy sensed coming from it, even when it’s off, that disturbs me – so I won’t have one in my home.
Same kind of energy thing comes from guns – which is ironic since I come from a Navy, Army, Law Enforcement, Secret Service, and hunting family. (interestingly, lotsa those same folks went on to become preachers) And have enjoyed military history. And, I’m a pretty good shot with a rifle or shotgun. Rotten shot with handguns. And am a strong proponent of licensed “Concealed Carry” for self-protection. Just can’t have firearms and/or anything military in my home any more because of that same sensed disturbing energy thing.
Now, why I’m saying all that here on this thread where maybe it’s off topic, who knows: mystery to me but it is what I _need_ to say right here right now.
Go figure.
Actually, I need to “watch my figure” – too much grape soda and chocolate cake as comfort food – that “good is bad” thing again!
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
Are you American, Forrest? Do you feel the same energy coming from other sorts of electrical equipment? I’m wondering if it’s a form of paranoia, feeling that way about the television.
Guns – bad things all round. I prefer swords.
I just ate junk food and threw up.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Was born in San Diego; largely raised in Georgia; live in Midwest now.
I see guns as tools, neutral, with good users and bad users. Just like legs of lamb – http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html.
Don’t think it’s paranoia: have heard and read of other people with similar sensitivities, and also to electrical things in general.
Back when high-tension power lies were first being put up in late Victorian age there were people near them become ill – which we now know was from lines’ electrical fields interfering with human body’s electrical field.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
You see guns as neutral tools???
What’s neutral about blowing someone’s head off?
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
Nothing is neutral about that act, it is a great sin against God who created the victim. The actor is shamelessly destroying God’s property.
Let me say this about that, I went to architecture college at Virginia Tech, (almost 30 years ago now) my stepdaughter lives in Omaha and shops at that mall, I was really wishing there had been someone there on scene who could have stopped the predators before they murdered so many people who had zero hope of protecting themselves from a person deep in sin.
The unbelievable hopelessness the victims must have felt knowing they were defenseless is beyond imagination.
It is cruel beyond definition to force people to be defenseless against predators.
And, remember, predators throughout the natural world prefer, and seek out, the victims who are least likely to do in the predator. It’s easier. The greater potential the prey has to take out the predator, the more the predator leaves that prey alone.
It has been reported that the Department of Justice estimates two million crimes a year simply do not happen after the intended victim reveals the capacity to defend himself or herself; and, in the interest of self-preservation the predator then goes away.
It had happened to my paternal grandfather one night stopped at a traffic light. And he only gave the illusion – laid end of rubber hose on window sill, the carjacker drew a conclusion and left. Would my grandfather have lived till the light changed otherwise?
I’m gonna say bluntly, do not be confusing a tool with the will and acts of its user.
A lot of people make that mistake.
Only people can sin, objects can not. People bent on sinning will use whatever tool is at hand to do so. And they at that point will not care whether any law says they can have that tool or not. they have chosen to sin and they will sin, whatever it takes.
And at this moment, I hear the Life Flight helicopter landing at the hospital across the street.
Is it carrying a defenseless victim of someone’s sin?
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
Do you argue that nuclear weapons are neutral too on that basis?
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 9:35 pm
Yes.
Every weapon is neutral.
They can be used by either those who esteem the laws of God and man or by those who tell God where he can stick it and have even less regard for the laws of man.
And those who do value the laws of God need equal weapons to defend themselves from those who essentially have given God the finger.
(now, there’s a whole ‘nother discussion about the out-of-control arms race, which is largely driven by politicians and industry, with a platter of ethnocentrism on the side)
It is a given that there are people who are committed to doing evil in the sight of God. People who uphold the laws of God and man, even whether they believe in God or not, have a right to be able to protect their lives which God has given them and has said it is sin to take away.
And, no I’m not a bible-thumping right winger as might be inferred from my sayings here – actually I _really_ irritate my father in law who is, and is convinced I’m going to burn!
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
Very good Jon!
Comment by Laura — July 9, 2009 @ 10:06 pm
But now you’ve done it…got me thinking…
First = Last
Last = First
Death = Life
Comment by Laura — July 9, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
One more comment and then I’ll shut up on this off topic digression.
Back to the nukes: it is probably safe to say that developments of the ICBM rockets to use them have helped along the rockets we use to lift communication satellites which allow us all to meet here from around the world; to see effects of deforestation and pollution; to learn and study what does affect our climate both from this planet and the sun’s radiations; to save lives predicting severe weather such as where typhoons and hurricanes might go; to aid in safe navigation of ships and planes with their cargoes and passengers. And those handy little GPS gadgets.
Comment by Forrest — July 9, 2009 @ 10:23 pm
Well that’s not much of an argument in their defence. I’m too tired to argue about it. We just don’t have the same attitude towards guns here. The thought of someone carrying a gun – in self-defence or otherwise – is horrifying to us.
Comment by Tiggy — July 9, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
#16 Will- terrific.
Well put, thanks…
Comment by MMP — July 10, 2009 @ 9:09 am
Laura @ 37: That death liberates life is, I think, the essential divine paradox.
Comment by Pat — July 10, 2009 @ 11:58 am