Something Simple

TITLE: YOU DIED
You died to yourself,
You died for me.
You died so that
The blind might see.
You died in pain,
The cross to bear.
You died alone,
God’s love to share.
You died in dark
To bring the light.
You died to defeat
The thief of the night.
You died as a sacrifice,
For all human sin.
You died to rise,
You died to win.

Complex Cobwebs

Ours is an era of complexity. Individuals are influenced, engaged and indoctrinated by the conflicting, mixed array of images and messages that they are faced with each day. Hollywood’s clothing size double zero is painted as the new image of perfection, then young people are placed under controlled monitoring, and their emotional and mental stability is questioned if they adjust their diet in an attempt to attain the ‘perfect body’. Individuals who cut themselves are thought of as insane or suicidal, when perhaps, they are simply trying to keep control within a chaotic world. People have been known to completely defy the world’s understanding and hurt and starve themselves as penance for sin. The fashion industry is becoming a den of lions where people are no longer simply changing their outfits, but in reality, they are changing their very bodies. Beauty is indeed pain as the knife carves away what is unwanted and inserts what is desirable to meet the standard. We have seen political prisoners starve themselves for a cause they were prepared to lay down their lives for, and others strap bombs to themselves for the glory of their God. I am not talking about a series of dual or binary conflicts here. What I am referring to is the complex web of knowledge and understanding, of messages and beliefs, of opinions and disagreements, of captivity and freedom.

These words are not benign. These words are not approaching these difficult subjects for the first time, nor will they have the final say. These words are not covering everything that needs to be covered. But these words have power. When real issues are spoken about, written about and acted upon, there is power. I dare to be too personal, but I am prepared to take the risk as I say that regarding these issues, academia is merely a means to an end. Some things are simply too important to merely objectify. Let us embrace the words of Ghandi and take a look at ourselves, then be the change we want to see… “for the hope of liveable worlds.” (Quote by Anne Harroway)

J

Perspective.

Every person, every story, every situation, every opinion, every ideology, every place, every thought, every feeling... Everything has a context. Sometimes we need to step outside our own in order to even begin to understand another. People are not people in the context of themselves, they are themselves in the context of others. Take a glance at that somebody's life who is behaving in a way that you disagree with, or is doing something that is confusing you, saddening you or frustrating you... except this time, try not to look from your own context or perspective, but from theirs. This is possibly one of the greatest acts of humility I can think of, and one of the most admirable, because it is one of the most difficult.

This is a journey.

A continuum.

It takes effort.

And purity of heart and motive.

Encourage joy in the lives of others. That is all.

Rambling about engaging with life.

I demand a revolution, but I seem to talk in code most of the time. A revolution of what, you say... of thought, motive and deed, I say.

I would say you were my sweetest downfall, but could a downfall ever be sweet? I don't know.

I wish I had somebody to blame.

I am immersed in academia, but can I use any of it really? If it eventually gets the better of me, then it was all for nothing.

Engagement is my 'word of the week'. Engage with yourself - with your deepest passion, emotion, questions, creativity, knowledge and so on. Engage yourself with life - use these aspects of self to impact the world. Engage your heart with others - we are relational people, never meant to be alone. Alone we wither away. Engage your soul with God - it's why you were made, and this is not up for ridiculous, theological arguments.

Engage, Engage, Engage.

When you stop engaging, something is wrong. Things get dark. Life gets dull. The world gets scary. We get sad. Keep engaging.

Desire drives us. Desire is difficult. Desire can be leading, and misleading. It's all about perspective.

Poem: Kingdom Come

My Child, do you love me?
Lord, You know I do.
Then feed my lambs, tend my sheep,
And believe what you know to be true.

This is no easy task I give you,
Let me tell you where to start:
You will have to let me search you,
And purify your heart.

This must be out of love for me,
Not profit for youself.
It could require great sacrifice,
But your soul will gain great wealth.

I give to you my Spirit,
And I will lead you in My Way;
From you I ask for willingness,
And a heart that will obey.

I'm letting you do my Kingdom Work
Of setting Captives free,
And discipling them in their freedom,
That they would grow in me.

I commission you to gather my flock
Underneath my Calvary Steeple;
And I equip you with peace and love,
To minister to the people.

So in, through and around you,
you will see my Kingdom Come.
And on earth just as in Heaven,
you will witness my will being done.

Poem: Love is Limitless, or Limited.

In the midst of the winter sunshine,
She found herself wondering one of life’s greatest questions:
“Why do we limit love?”
It seems that it can only be
In a certain place
At a certain time
With a certain person
For a certain purpose.
But is not love greater than this?
And broader, and wider, and deeper?
It incorporates so much thought,
feeling, emotion and hope.
So she put on her sunglasses and observed
the people around her.
The children, the lovers, the friends.
She found herself smiling, and in that moment,
She wasn’t so afraid anymore;
Of course the fear would return,
And the asking,
And the doubting.
But she would always treasure that moment -
when she was free from captivity.

Poem:Down and Out

She lay on the cold pavement on Botanic Avenue,
Sometimes the Ormeau Road,
Not that the name of the road is particularly relevant.
She is known to be talking - to herself, to God, to passers by;
Nobody is quite sure who exactly.
It has been speculated by those who pay any attention at all
That there is the possibility of insanity,
Or demonic possession.
My diag-nonsense is that this is what happens when the harshness of life
has its way.
When hopes are shattered and dreams turn to nightmares.
Who the hell would want to be part of the real world
When the real world is full of shit and darkness,
And the Kingdom of Hell reigns in the lives of the lonely,
And the hurting,
She used to be a nurse, she says, amidst barking and making her idiotic noises.
She speaks of her once-was-husband.
My heart is sore listening to her.
I can't restore her life.
I can only offer a listening ear and a cup of coffee for heat and stimulation.
Often I lie to myself, saying that this is enough,
And often I lie to myself, saying that it is not.
Why does nobody see her?
And why don't they see that by not seeing her,
they are enhancing the Kingdom of Hell on earth?
She was showing me her Christmas present from little Sophie the other day.
I want to clone Sophie's heart
And put one into each bitter, idiotic human being,
And how I wish I did not sound cynical.
God bless Sophie, who God-blessed Barbara.
Oh yes, Barbara is her name, if you are interested.
I imagine, however, that you are not
Like the rest of the desensitized people.
Perhaps it's not their fault.
No-one enjoys feeling pain, and it hurts when one's eyes are exposed to reality,
But how will anything ever change if few others see like Sophie?