Spiritual sociology and the zombie apocalypse

Have you ever sat in a hectic mall and people watched? It’s akin to bird watching, yet you observe the immensity in diversity of the crowds before you. They hurry to and fro in their busy lives; each with a distinctive personality and outward projection. It’s amazing how alive and invigorated they all seem, with family and friends tying them together with unseen bounds. And yet, what we perceive is not an accurate depiction of the reality before us. If life were representative of a movie, we could speculate that the world around us is an ongoing drama, perhaps with comical elements and some adventure. The cast of characters around us are each the protagonists in their own personal unfolding story lines. Such `life’ is observed within the narrative; People living and being people. I am nothing more than a simple bird watcher, a movie goer, and I sit in a dark theatre and enjoy the intrigue of this movie of life on the screen of my retina. Yet because I sit in the dark, I fail to see the reality just beyond the theatre doors: The bigger world beyond my darkened perception. God’s Word allows us to glimpse the outside world: the real world. And to see that those around us, who are like us, are not well. That something is dreadfully amiss, and that humanity is terminally ill.

Grieved in Gomorrah

Christian Allegory - The lost seeking salve in sin.

Jeremiah 8:18-9:6

taming the tongue

Flyleaf: "I'm so sick, Infected with where I live". - The Christian's Conundrum.

Flyleaf expresses our sinful sorry state with their song, “I am so sick”.

Exalting oneself above God precipitated the fall of mankind, and our created order. Questioning His judgment is to replace Him with yourself: to exalt yourself above your Creator. The prideful position that dropped Satan from the heavens likewise dropped mankind from Eden. And we landed in a world of thorns and death. Tainted flesh: Adam’s legacy lives on in his children. We desire to exercise our wills above His own. We trade happiness for sorrow and have done so millennium upon millenniums.


How to crawl out of this hole? As the Flyleaf song sings:

"I'm so sick, Infected with where I live" 

... the allures of the flesh (of this world) are ever before us and within us. As Paul voiced this tension,
"Who will save me from this body of death (Romans 7:24)?". The Flyleaf song sings of sexual tension, but the lures are many. How does one resist the want of carnality, the hunger of iniquity? How does one deflect the attraction of the flesh? And we hear Paul’s reply,

"Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ my Lord (Romans 7:25)." Dwell not on the thoughts of the flesh, on the desires for sinful satisfaction. Dwell on and with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We are prone to stray thoughts. These we must contend with in till the Lord’s return. Yet we should not allow them to covet. We must not fixate them within our minds and entertain them in our hearts. This is a conscience act. A stray thought is a spark in the mind and easily snuffed. But if we capture that thought, and dwell upon it, and nurse it into a fire, it will grow. Carnal thoughts are kindling to fires that will burn your life. When kindling comes along, discard it. Likewise, dwelling on the things of God is a conscience act, to be nurtured and perfected.

"I will break into your thoughts with what's written on my heart
I will break, break"

 

We must take ownership of our thoughts and break out from this cycle of death and decay. We must serve God with our mind and soul, we must serve God with our flesh. And when we do so, we will shed our chains of iniquity and progress on the road of sanctification. The road that leads to Paradise.

Do what is necessary

If you're like me, you sometimes feel like you're dragging your Christian feet. Many times I ponder, what am I supposed to do? What is God's direction for my life? How am I to serve Him and engage the world around me? I think many times, I simply overthink it. Instead of analyzing how I'm supposed to change the world on some momentous scale, I need to simply be obedient in my neighborhood.

I'm not Mother Teresa, yet perhaps i can buy a burger for a homeless man on the street.

I'm not Billy Graham, yet perhaps I can share my faith with someone close by.

God can use you, to move mountains, even if only in the life of one person.

born again - the metamorphosis of sanctification

 

from a worm (a creature designed and desiring to eat .. a gut with legs)

comes the realization, the touch of God,
of birth, of beauty with the power to fly,
of metamorphosis, of being born again and at one within the sky .. next to God.
it is the path we all take from the dirt to the clouds.
thank God for the chrysalis, that changes the worm,
thank God for the Christ, that changes the soul into something beautiful.

Finding the black and white in the grey.

If only one could roll his eyes back, inside his sockets, and look within himself. Sure, we can be introspective, and contemplate our inner workings, our heart’s desire, and our soul’s ambitions. But this mechanism is also intimately tied to and thus swayed by our brains faulty conjectures and mistaken self-image. What is a good man? What is a good woman? What is your criterion for the evaluation? How do you measure yourself in light of that criterion?  Our feeble flesh is alive with justifications to assure us that our worldly interactions, our inner thoughts, our spoken words are not indicative of who we truly are. So how do we see ourselves honestly? How do we find that honest voice within ourselves? And use it to better ourselves?

We are amalgamations; Blending’s of flesh and spirit that are part of an ongoing interaction with the visible and invisible world around us. It exerts a pull on us, as we likewise exert a pull on it. The gravity of the situation, however, is such that the fallen worlds pull would overpower ours. It is simply bigger. Its influence is beyond our capacity to resist. We are specks of sand on a beach, and the tide throws us where it pleases. We are small and seemingly insignificant: fuzz in the breeze.

Evil and Augustine

Introduction:

Within the confines of the Augustinian philosophy we find a possible solution to an age old philosophical labyrinth:  what is evil?  Augustine grappled with this problem throughout much of his early adult life.  While struggling with his personal iniquity he embraced the Manichean's philosophy.  Later, upon further investigation he developed a Monistic theory that had Platonic roots at its base.  The pinnacle of Augustine's explanation of evil is described in terms of privation and perspective, it is from these seeds that evil could be rationally understood.  This paper will endeavour to trace Augustine's conception of evil from a flimsy philosophical foundation to a sturdy one. 

Hints and warnings – God’s voice through others

It’s interesting how God can jar you from your stupor and remind you that He is shaping events.  We know that He’s involved in our daily circumstance, yet I am awe stricken upon the reception of direct communication.  This month two of His children had the privilege to rattle my moorings with spoken words; Rattled by the blessed acknowledgement that He chose to include me in on an aspect of His itinerary.  The first was a sister that needed a spiritual hug. As we have all had the disprivilege of meandering through the `valley of the shadow of death’, she was currently trudging through this tired old path. I offered her my usual encouragement and direction by pointing her towards the holy mount. Yet she startled me by telling me God had revealed to her that I would be her “mentor”. This has never occurred to me before. God had told her I would disciple her. There’s something beautiful about that, and yet subtly terrifying: To be entrusted with a task, revealed through the Spirit’s good pleasure. It should not be taken lightly. And I pray I do not get in the way of accomplishing what God’s intentions are.

God’s eyes: Tale of two souls

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

Imagine how different this world would appear, if we saw it with the Lord’s eyes. Yet our eyes are corrupted by an iniquitous infection that twists this reality. Despite the spiritual decay that lambasts our souls and stigmatizes our retina, the Lord has sent His Helper to His children. The significance of this will always be understated, for it is impossible to overstate this miracle: that the God of all would commune with us. And despite our fragile fleshen forms, He wishes to fill us with His love, and teach us to see as He sees. This is our lot, until we are brand-new and have our cataracts removed. As such, I lean on and glean on His guidance, and occasionally I catch glimpses of His honor amongst us in His children: as I see with fleshy eyes and a tainted spirit, slightly corrected by His holy lens.

 I perceived two people, one devoured by shadows and the other emitting God's light; I wish to compare and contrast these dissimilar souls, both of which I met this week. They are like opposite poles on a magnet that repel one another in lifestyle and outlook. I don’t believe I have met two more divergent individuals. Both of them are struggling with life setbacks, one more of his own making, and the other by nature of her birthplace. On the one hand a man of superficial outward strength, and on the other, a woman of veiled inward strength. It is interesting how two people encumbered in a similar happenstance would react so differently to the world around them: One with anger whose desire is for himself, and the other with love whose desire is for others. Equally interesting is how the fallen world would measure them, if it happened to share a moment in their company.

Mark
 

I ventured into the inner city to meet up with a friend that is struggling with homelessness, and while at a soup kitchen he introduced me to one of the individuals I referred too.
 

As seen with earthly eyes: Mark walked in through the front door and started looking for a seat to sit on. He is homeless and this shelter is his preferred place to eat. People seemed frightened of him. I’ve spent many days in a gym, and Mark was the biggest body builder I’ve ever seen. His arms were 21 inches thick: Which is like a teenager’s waist. His trapezoids touched his ears, and his chest and lats where like sides of beef. I am unsure if he could walk through a door without turning one shoulder forward and the other back. He was a monster who had overinflated himself with copious amounts of steroids … to the point where he looked surreal, more like a cartoon caricature of a man. He walked and acted in a way to draw attention onto himself.
 

He rotated his sleeping habits between sleeping on the streets and sharing a bed with numerous women enamoured by his physique. The frequent one-night-stands seemed to further his perceived self-worth. He was such an odd compilation … the homeless body builder; well dressed, well groomed, a good looking face, and a physical gargantuar. He preferred to spend his days in the gym instead of working. Work would distract from his size which would in turn diminish his self-worth. His need to feel physically superior actually hindered his ability to achieve employment. And the exercitation of this ego made him subsequently unemployable. I have never met someone whose desire for physical grandeur had actually made them homeless. His was a pride gone awry.
 

Mark was powerful looking; Strong looking. He carried himself with confidence and had a trigger temper. The previous week he had apparently exploded in a rage and terrified the mission. This week he seemed to receive special treatment based on his prior antics … as volunteers quickly offered him a level of service I’ve never seen before in a soup kitchen. A man came over with a pitcher of milk, filled Mark’s glass and put the pitcher beside him for refills. Another man would refill his glass whenever it was half full. Everyone appeared to walk on egg shells around him. Mark had taken a seat next to me, and I gave a friendly greeting. Without acknowledging me, he verbally disparaged me and looked down on me (he tinged my anger and I flared up, but that’s a story for a different blog post). What’s important was how he challenged a stranger and symbolically spit in my face without provocation. Because of his demeanour, and because of his Olympic proportions, he was feared and garnered some form of odd respect. Due to his powerful presence and the strength of his personae, he was someone people regarded as powerful and wished to emulate. Yet he was the littlest man I have ever met.
 

Mark was a narcissist. His world was built around pleasing himself. His ego was more grotesquely inflated than his body; he fancied himself the epitome of a tough guy, and refused to take any inconvenience from anyone. I know what a tough guy is, and this isn’t it. A strong man is strong for those around him, not for himself. In fact, when Mark was younger, he was too tough to listen to his parents. And now he’s too tough to listen to an employer. 30 years old, physically strong enough to lift an Honda, and he’s homeless and hooked on meth. All his time and all his money is spent on himself. He is the sun and everything revolves around him.
 

He is a contradiction; a visual alpha male incapable of supporting himself, let alone helping others. His spirit is so weak that he cannot see God, only himself. His mind is so fragile; that he cannot relate to people around him, for fear that his virtual reality would be obliterated: that he would see his insufficiency and need for Another.
 

As seen with spiritual eyes: Mark is on life support. His legs are so weak he is incapable of walking. He is skinny, transparent, fragile, sickly … he is barely breathing. His every thought is of himself. He has squandered all that has been entrusted to him upon himself.
 

Anna
 

And then there is Anna, the other person I referred too that is the polar opposite of Mark. My sister is so luminous she burns my eyes. A magnificent woman whose strength humbles Atlas: who fictitiously carried the earth upon his shoulders.
 

Anna as seen through earthen eyes: Anna is little, 5 foot 0 and 100 pounds. She is the eldest of 7 siblings. Her family is impoverished and lives in the Philippines. She is not affluent and fairly poor. And Anna has a troublesome and serious heart condition.
 

As seen through my teary eyes: When she was 18 years old, she could not marry her love. Her family’s impoverished state prompted her to selflessly give up her relationship and to seek employment in another country. For 15 years she has worked in a foreign land as a nanny and sent the money back home to her family. Her father became sick and Anna took the medical expenses upon herself to treat him. Anna became sick but did not have the luxury to stop working. Her family needs her. Although she is greatly indebted and very sick, she refuses to stop sending her family money. She even refuses to tell her family that she is ill, because Anna does not want them to worry about her.
 

I could tell you many stories about Anna that would leave you in humbled bewilderment. Suffice it to say, she pours her life into those around her. The extent of which, I don’t fully understand. How she could be so selfless at the expense of her own well-being and future, and unwilling to even let those she sacrifices for, know of the depths of her sacrifice for them. As such, she doesn’t even receive recognition and honor for it. She burns my eyes when I look at her.
 

As seen through spiritual eyes: Anna is a giant of massive proportions; she has strength to move mountains. My sister is so fragile and so weak by outward appearances, yet she is spiritually unmoved by the world around her. It slaps her, mocks her, and she cries but shames it with her love. Her strength is in God, not herself. She leans on the Master, not her own devices. She worships Him every morning, singing songs of praise. She walks daily, holding the Father’s hand. Her physical heart is weak, but her spiritual heart channels love to those around her.
 

She shared with me a long term goal. She wished, when she had managed to pay off her considerably large debt, to save money to help her nephew have a better life. She makes 500 dollars a month, sends money back home to her family, is paying medical expenses for her failing health and for her fathers: and her ambition (for when her debt is finally paid off) isn’t to have “me” time, or to spoil herself because she deserves it. It isn’t to try and better her own condition, but to instead help her nephew.

Two people walk into a room. The first one is a man so physically strong that he dents the door knob as he turns it. The world stares in admiration of his presence. He is a physical tiger by outward appearances. Yet spiritually, he is a dying neonatal kitten. The second person, no one notices. She is a tiny, unhealthy physical specimen. Her entire body would weigh as much as the first guy’s arm. Yet, her soul touches God, and as such, she could bench-press the universe. I wish the world would see with God’s eyes.

My Sinful Old Shirt

"I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." (Romans 7: 21-25)

An inconsistency in evolutionary logic …

Scenario 1

NASA launches a manned spacecraft to Mars.  It safely lands on the Martian landscape, and the astronauts exit the ship.  Upon exploration, they find, hidden in a wide crevice, what appears to be something resembling an horse drawn carriage.  Four twelve spoked wheels, a nice spring suspension, a robust frame held together with nails, and a canopy and a seat.  The entire construct is painted a royal yellow with some form of inscription on the side. 

What would the scientists conclude from this discovery?  It’s evident that something intelligent made this buggy, no one would be so dimwitted to suggest otherwise.  The discovery would be applauded as unshakable evidence that life exists on Mars:  Intelligent life (aliens) capable of constructing crude vehicles.  Something as complex as a carriage demands a carriage maker. 

Men, ya know you're out of shape when ...

The Metrosexual Church

Men … have you ever been sucked into the Church estrogen zone? I really try hard to stay clear of any metrosexually orientated churches … which nowadays is becoming increasingly difficult to do. But last week, like a left cross with painted finger nails, I was struck and dropped to the floor. Now for those confused with what I’m talking about, a metrosexual church is a church that seemingly has a preferential style that caters to a more feminine inclination. As such, it engages in activities that can alienate men and make them feel uncomfortable. This is one of the reasons why there are a disproportionately larger number of women that attend church nowadays. Many masculine guys have been pushed out of the assemblies ... not purposefully, but unintentionally.

How demons shape our world - Tale of 2 World Religions

First, let us learn how to recognize what a demon possession looks like:

17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.  (Mark 9:17-26 NLT)

Men are pigs – advice for women wallowing for courtship

Whitney Houston once asked, how will you know if he really loves you?  There are millions upon millions of single ladies out there, musing about the pairing possibilities in their general proximity. This is not unique to the human condition, but is ingrained within much of the Animalia Kingdom. Their eyes are peeled for the magnificent, and at times odd, courtship rituals that the opposite sex will use to entice them.  These displays assure the female that the male is strong, beautiful, capable of supporting a family, and healthy.  Sexual dimorphism is the reality and starting point for the continuation of humanity.  And it creates a wondrous sexual tension, a magnetism, perhaps an animal magnetism, to draw these anatomically divergent creatures together.

Plato recognized this tension in his theory of forms.  He contemplated that there was only one “formal” reality for humanity: and that the male and female sexes, were infact two different halves of that form.  Meaning, that men and women were akin to puzzles, and only find completion when they come together in a marital arrangement.  This was the only form, as far as I am aware of, that required two pieces to find completion, or wholeness.  I say this not because I’m a Platonist or that I believe you need to be married to he whole, heaven forbid, but to illustrate the “formal” beauty and purity seen in this relationship.  Paul was actually quite fond of the single lifestyle (1 Corinthians 7:8).  But even the pre-Christian ancient Greeks recognized the importance of this union.

Dark Spirits - A black hole trying to take your light

We decided to meet at a coffee shop.  Two strangers brought together by a flyer I posted around town.  A week prior, I had made a flyer inviting people who have questions about God to phone me.  It also invited those suffering from depression to seek me out.  I try things, and if they don’t work, I try other things.  Occasionally, by God’s grace, He elects to use me for some small task.  This was one of those days.

Prosperity doctrine – a graceful elixir, going to the highest bidder

The idea that holiness equates to monetary gain is not new.  It has enjoyed a resurgence over the last generation in the outskirts of some Christian circles: encompassing different forms, yet maintaining a familiarity in message.  I say this not to diminish these believers, for many undoubtfully have a “rich” relationship with the Lord (forgive the pun).  The Bible is a big book, and takes a concerted amount of effort to understand … lifetimes of effort.  As you read it to gain understanding for some query you had, you will find answers, and also more questions based on your greater understanding.  This leads you to dig deeper, perpetuating a cycle of ever increasing theological maturity:  weaning you from the spiritual milk and giving you some doctrinal beef jerky to chew on.  Your curiosity of superficial epidermal inquiry will gradually entice you to dissect deeper, and explore wider, until you find yourself at the bone of the matter, studying the marrow.  While admittedly there are some charlatan preachers amongst us, these are not representative of their congregants in the pews.  And it’s usually not difficult to help the confused scratch through the surface of the subject to see the furuncle a particular teaching can generate.

Dr. Seuss' Prolife Lesson?

Dr. Seuss’  books are a lot of fun to read.  My favorite is `Horton Hears a Who’.  The cartoon of this classic is superb.    What is particularly striking about this story is how it accurately portrays the prolife struggle to protect the unborn.  Within the storyline we see a friendly elephant, named Horton, make a profound discovery.  He picks a flower and is about to discard it when he hears a voice emanating from it.  No, the flower is not talking, but there exists life upon it that is.  A tiny person called a `Who' lives on the flower.  The Who is too small to be seen by the unaided eye.  In fact, there is an entire city of Whos inhabiting the flower.  They are defenseless and if discarded would likely perish.  Horton is amazed that such tiny beings inhabit the flower and shares his discovery and its implications with his friends.  He wishes to protect the Whos.  This is a profound finding: one that signifies a parting from the previous status quo of his society, to a new obligation to protect the previously unknown Whos.  It makes the viewer wonder how many other flowers have Who cities:  With Who fathers, Who mothers, and Who children inhabiting them.  And how many Whos had been unknowingly eradicated by ignorance.

Listen ... I bring Good News

Whether you're broken or whole, this video's balm for your soul.

See a child enjoy life with her Creator:  a life abundant and a life of joy.  Yet, as she grows older a myriad of influences intercepts this relationship and interferes with it.  We see her lured away by the world and seeking to belong in it; Amorous men, the allure of mammon, frivolous parties, popularity, drunkenness and addiction ... empty living.  Her self worth was shaped by her Creator's perception. She was beautiful. Now lost, her worth is defined by the depraved world around her and she doesn't know how important she is anymore, she feels worthless, empty, and alone. 

But watch the Father, the Son, the Husband call to her.  He loves her oh-so dearly.  If only she would return to Him, He would return her lost joy.  Broken, despondent, suicidal, the dominoes are in place and the evil one comes. He is the man-in-black - the father of lies - and he schemes to kill the Master's beloved creation.  "You are worthless" he tells her.  Two narratives are presented in her life: (1) one from the giver of Truth, and the other (2) from the father or lies.  One makes her beautiful, the other makes her worthless. Seek the Truth sister and it will set you free.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)

Strive for the Father and He will strive for you.  Call Him, seek Him, demand Him in your life.  He is all that matters.  A treasure of endless worth.

What joy to see her return to her first Love, her true Love, her only real Love.  She claws and fights to return to Him, while the world claws and fights to stop her. And suddenly, by turning to Jesus, she is blanketed by His impenetrable embrace and finds peace - true ... lasting ... joyous ... peace.  She is loved and remembers she is beautiful, a child of God, found once again in her heavenly Father's warm embrace.  Praise Jesus!!

(if video doesn't load, use link to view:  https://youtu.be/g8vL3cN1fRc)

(if video doesn't load, use link to view:  https://youtu.be/g8vL3cN1fRc)

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (NLT: Matthew 11:28)

Lifehouse's Everything Drama

Abortion's Forked Tongue

“Evil always wins through the strength of its splendid dupes; and there has in all ages been a disastrous alliance between abnormal innocence and abnormal sin.” (G.K. Chesterton, Eugenics and other Evils)

There is a contingent of pro choicers that have an ingrained dishonesty about them. While the majority fall within the spectrum of Lenin’s useful idiots, parroting disingenuous theorems outside of their fields of knowledge, the zealots are the ones of interest. They are like political spin doctors that try to shape circumstance to fit their ideological bend. Truth is of no concern to them, it is meddlesome and stifles their agenda. You would think that truth was everybody's ultimate goal, but this is not the case. Ultimate truth as a concept is contingent on a truth giver, a God from which it emanates. So for those unshackled from God, truth has no cord tying it to a pre-existent foundation. To them, truth is created in their own minds and subject to their passing fancies and purposes. They have replaced the foundations of truth, the omniscient almighty God, with themselves. In essence, they have declared themselves almighty. As such, they are unrestrained by morality in their quest to remake a counterfeit degenerate Eden. Power is the means and the means justifies the ends.

“There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.” Lenin

But to what ends? Well, that which is the ends depends on the ideologue. And there can be many ends had in the pro choice brothel, unifying different people with different objectives on a common issue. For some it is racial. For some it is communist. For some it is a blend of male hatred and gender superiority. For some it is self-hatred. For some it is hedonism. For some it is irresponsibility. And for some it is satanic. For most, it is a blend of these. There can be many reasons to tell a lie. In part, this is what separates the pro choicer and the pro lifer. Truth. The pragmatist verses the moralist. Yet the pro choice pragmatic is only pragmatic in regards to their personally created version of truth. Ironically, by presuming themselves almighty, some have succumbed to their own lies. Forgetting that they deceived for a pragmatic purpose, which was to usher their utopian objectives. The lie told is no longer a pragmatic means to an end. Thinking themselves god, it now has moral equivalency. Some are so unhinged that they have forgotten their beginnings and now consider themselves moralists: Of a morality they created themselves, within their own minds. This is the maniacal truth of the spiritually ill.

24 reasons why cats are evil

1. Cats litter. And littering is bad for the environment.

2. Witches always have a pet black cat. Need i say more?

3. Cats pretend they want to be petted, but then walk away. That’s dishonest.

4. Cats will destroy your furniture and curtains, just to see your facial expression. It amuses them.

5. Cats watch you when you’re sleeping. You didn’t know, ‘cuz you were asleep.

Misplaced Faith

Christian, where does your faith lie?

I was having supper with a pastor. And as is sometimes the case when believers intermingle, testimonies and past stories abounded. Nothing was particularly interesting about this pastor's back story. He was raised in a Christian home by Godly parents. He thought himself rebellious as a youth, but his stories indicated he was not. He seemed a nice man to shepherd the flock. As his story progressed, he discussed how his uncle and aunt were pivotal influences for his Christian walk and the rudder that steered him to Bible school. A nice story (perhaps a little boring), but good enough to share between chews. But then he said something startling. Amongst his fawning over his godly uncle and aunt, he said they were so important to his decision to believe in Jesus, that he was unsure if could believe if they renounced their faith.

What?

How could this be? This man was raised in a good Christian home, had gone to seminary and was leading a local congregation, and he had a faulty foundation for his faith. His eternal salvation was built on the perceived holiness of a fallible man and woman: Instead of the infallible Lord Jesus Christ. The foundations of his aunt and uncle’s faith should have been his foundation, not the aunt and uncle themselves. Even if his uncle and aunt remain faithful to the grave, this foundation would be weak when tested by trial. Your faith should not be contingent on the faith of another.

I am troubled by this dynamic, and man’s capacity to follow man, and not God. I understand the close bond that can form when disciplining and that is healthy. But I am always terrified by the prospect that someone’s faith would be contingent on me (not my faith, but me personally). What a terrible burden for the fallible to carry. In a post about role modelling, I discussed how important it is to have Godly examples to shape Godly character. Yet this is not what I’m referring to here. Your Christian walk should be carried on legs marbled by Biblical truth and a sound relationship with God. You shouldn’t be piggy-backing someone else’s faith. If they fall, you fall.

The Sad Anti-Christian Atheist Troll

As you gander about online, perusing your interests, you will inevitably stumble across two age-old combatants locking horns on eternal issues. In particular, I refer to the endless discourse between Christians and atheists. I suspect a sizable percentage of the internet’s content is composed of these two fractions engaging one another.

Many the times, within google+ or elsewhere, you carouse for some meaningful snippet to uplift and nurture your soul. I find it is always a joy to meet a kindred spirit that loves Jesus as much as I do. Yet curiously, upon any Christian site you choose, you will quickly find an antagonistic atheist presence there. Some seem to spend more time on these sites than many Christians. Many of my siblings-in-Christ relish the opportunity to witness to these unusual personalities: unusual, in that they apparently find some form of need, or perverse pleasure, in trolling Christian sites. A troll by definition is a twisted and ugly creature with an unnatural hostility towards creatures of the light. The name is fitting for these particular atheists. Many Christians view them as a ministry opportunity, and some as an annoyance to be ignored. I hold both these views depending upon the particular atheist, and whether they are potential seekers or vulgar haters.

Yet, the other day I suffered an epiphany of sorts that gave me time for pause. While I understood my motive to converse with these atheists, I began to consider the uncomfortable reality of what their motivation would be to seek me out. This yields a particularly interesting insight into the psyche of an anti-Christian atheist troll, given their beliefs and how they choose to spend their time. Given the blink of life they have, they seem to have an unhealthy preoccupation that borders on manic when it comes to religious people. While they should be living out their moment on hedonistic pursuits, they preoccupy themselves with an activity that takes time away from pleasurable endeavours. The only explanation would be that they take pleasure in trying to hurt Christians, to rattle their cages and shake their world views. - And when you take the time to think about it, you begin to see the sad, empty, little lives that they live. And this insight shifted my perspective - of the nameless God-hating troll on the other end of the keyboard - and evoked my pity.

Predictive Parenting

In Dueling Madonna’s, I touched on the idea that the accumulation of incremental bad-influences acquired through negative role modeling can inversely damage our Christian walk. Based on this realization, it allows us to be cognizant and defensively proactive in regard to who we choose to admire, and why. These principles are of particular importance to the impressionable minds of children, and should be considered in our parenting strategies. However, I would like to expand beyond the constraints of only discussing role models and start to include the contemporary culture around us. It shouldn’t be a surprise that a sinful culture is a stumbling block to a godly family. Yet the `barely sinful’ aspects within the ungodly spectrum can like-wise accumulate and, given years of exposure, lead us into an acceptance of the `overtly sinful’ aspects. Sitcoms with sexual innuendo, while not overt, start to influence one into an unhealthy preoccupation with sexuality. We see this come to the forefront in later teen years with a blatant over fixation with virginity. And given societies diminishing morality, that fixation has shifted from admiring the virgin a couple of generations ago, to stigmatizing them today. I was once a teenage boy and I can attest that their minds are overly preoccupied with thoughts of sex. And these thoughts are actively uploaded into their minds via sitcoms, movies, MTV music videos, and questionable friends. Now don’t misunderstand me, sex and sexuality are a gift from God. The tensions between male and female interactions as one struggles to find a marital partner are indeed an important part to enjoying ones limited time on earth. But as our society pushes to sexualize our children, they are replacing our kids’ mindset from wanting to play playground games, for the sake of fun, to a perverted understanding of youngins engaging in adult interaction.

The Dueling Madonnas - Saint verses Sinner ... And How it Affects us.

We all have role models, even when we don’t realize it. Influences from what we’ve seen and admired subliminally exert a gentle pull on our souls. An undetected yearning to be like `that person’ or like a particular quality `that person’ has. After watching Schwarzenegger or Stallone I feel an heightened manliness. Their testosterone pumps mine up. I think my chest even get hairier after I watch their movies. I had to stop watching Jackie Chan after I ripped all my pants. You girls may admire the style or attractiveness of some lady, and wish to copy her makeup, hairstyle, or the way she carries herself. If you put a child before the tube with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on, within an hour they’ll be kicking holes in your walls. They want to be a ninja turtle. I’m not talking about idol worship, puppy love crushes, or deification. I’m articulating a principle in humanity where we actively shape ourselves and are shaped by what we see and feed on. And whether good or bad, we are pumped when we see things we wish to identify within ourselves. This when recognized, can be a source of immeasurable spiritual strength. Or when ignored, the means of our destruction. And it is a powerful ingredient in a parent’s cookbook for the development of Godly children.

Windows 10 is Linux

I don’t know if anyone’s been paying attention, but I think there’s been a code merger between those old rivals, Microsoft and Linux. I can hear all you Linux adherents say, “What the heck are you talking about”? And, in some secret backroom in Microsoft headquarters, quiet whispers can be heard, “Oh oh, someone noticed”. Whether a merger, appropriation, or sale, it is fairly obvious that Microsoft Windows 10 has adopted much of that which is Linux (which I will document below). To be clear, it was Windows 8 that first adopted Linux, and this has now been refined into Windows 10. I failed to see it in Windows 8, however. But with the advent of 10, it became glaringly obvious.

Faith Bubble - An Unhealthy Substitute for Foundational Faith

Faith is a wondrous thing.  Some people are gifted with it and have a propensity to move mountains. Others are not, and struggle to move the covers off themselves so they can get out of bed.  My mother is a creature of pure faith.  She doesn’t know much about science and isn’t particularly well read historically.  Yet when the antagonists of God berate her, their faulty conjectures strike her as hollow plenitudes: They have no more substance than the breath that carries them.  She isn’t trained in a particular academic field and as such, capable of correcting their folly by referencing publications and learned men.  No, that is not within her scope.  But what she does have is an innate God given PhD In faith; Such that, their attempts to rattle her are futile.  And her exemplified relationship with God rattles them.

We can’t all have my mother’s faith (or a gifting of faith).  And neither do we need it.  Paul instructs us that that which we believe is rational, and he is correct.  What he means is, we can see and affirm many things about God and Christianity without faith - and that this in turn, builds our personal faith. God is evident in His creation, and this insight is unmistakable to many by simple observation, and to others by study.  This does not negate faith.  There are areas where faith is required.  This is God’s intent and prerogative.  Many wonder why He wouldn’t simply reveal Himself to the degree that we could not deny Him.  How could you not believe in Him if He shook the earth from a pillar of flame and commanded us to listen?  Or, wouldn’t it be easier to evangelize the world if Noah’s ark was perched in plain site, and all we had to do was point at it?

Attacked by advanced browser hijacker – See who fared better, Google Chrome or Pale Moon Browser.

I recently had the misfortune to stumble across a browser hijack.

I used this opportunity to compare two browsers, Google Chrome and Pale Moon.

View on to see which browser surprisingly fared better. (I also ran a couple security related browser apps at it to see if they helped).

Mr. T - Strength in God.

Hollywood is a spiritual wasteland and a distributor of moral decay.  So I am always pleasantly surprised when I see a man strong enough to proclaim God in these badlands. `Strong' is a good descriptor for Mr. T.  He is known for being a strongman.  I just never realized that his true strength was spiritual.  I used to love watching him on the A-Team.  I think it’s fair to state he has the best sneer in the business.  In fact, I’d give him an Academy Award for it.  Yet beneath his rough and gruff persona is an heart attuned to God.   

Google AdSense doesn't like me anymore. Alternatives? ... Bidvertiser, Chitika, etc tryouts.

Google AdSense doesn’t like me anymore.  We were once friends, but I did something to upset their algorithms.  I think `algorithms’ is just google's code for referring to their unseen overlords.  I suspect it’s a Dr. Who kinda thing, where the good Doctor would find that the Daleks (or some other evil alien presence) was secretly the mastermind and controlling factor behind some innocuous looking front organization.  Maybe, it’s more of a Terminator sort of thing, with an enlightened super computer controlling Googles operations (?).  Whatever the reason, the algorithms were offended.  Oops.  And apparently, if they told me why, they’d have to kill me (why else would they withhold that information from me?).  Seeing as I don’t want to die, I’ve chosen to live in a grey shroud of ignorance concerning this subject matter (luckily for me, I’m really good at that).  Dr. Who has taught me that this route maximizes my personal survival:  For whenever someone meets the Daleks, the Daleks meat them.

Malwarebytes - A class act.

"Given this bad blood between the companies, and the implication of illegal / criminal activity, I wondered if Malwarebytes would detect IObit as malware ..."

Thomas the Engine talks Prozac and Purpose

Did you know you matter?  It’s all about perspective and a lack of it.  If you thought you were amazing, you’d feel better about yourself.  If you knew you were loved, you wouldn’t feel so despondent.  So many things can go wrong when we don’t know who we are.  We can grow depressed and suffer a minuscular self-worth.    For others, their self-worth is associated with temporal things such as power and possessions:  things as useful as a snowman on an hot day.  It may seem fun for a moment, but in the context of the grand scheme of things, it is momentary and insignificant.  If one lacks prestigious employment or a pretty face, they feel second tier and cheated of happiness.  Melancholy can be insidious, particularly when generated by unimportant reasons.  It can impair the pace of our journey and obscure the path we should trod.  We live in a Prozac society and we are a Prozac generation.  How can a train locomotive guide us to completion?

Why prolife is failing - The Why chromosome

The prolife movement has progressively been losing ground.  Against insurmountable odds, the prochoice movement pushes forward, gaining momentum and adherents.  How could something so clear-cut as the life within a mother’s belly be debatable?  Yet here we are. 

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium verses Iobit's Malware Fighter 3 Pro. Tested.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium verses Iobit Malware Fighter 3 Pro - Tested.  Who's better?

The Biology of Abortion

Let us clarify what we’re talking about when we discuss abortion.  Let’s remove politics, religion, and ideology, and let’s talk about biology.  I myself am a biologist and am surprised by the various ludicrous claims that some pro-abortionists make.  There is a biological reality, and indeed certainty, to the reproductive process that cannot be altered in light of accepted science.  Parts of the discussion are simply not debatable.  My intent is not to be patronizing, for many people are simply ignorant and in need of enlightenment.  And ignorance is not something to be ashamed of; it is simply a reflection of one’s education.  And it does not denote a lesser intelligence, for we are all ignorant on a multitude of subjects.  Not everyone has chosen to study biology at an higher level, just as I have not chosen to study American literature … and am truly ignorant concerning its content.

Questions and Answers with Bret Lowry, the new owner of WinPatrol

I had a couple of features I’d like to see implemented into WinPatrol.  I asked for Bret’s input and here’s what he had to say.

Changing Winpatrol’s startup tab:

Bret's Response:

“Did you know that you can tell WinPatrol Explorer which tab to open from the command line?

If WinPatrol Explorer is not running, you can have it run and open to the ActiveX tab as follows:

winpatrolex.exe -activex

Also, if you right-click on the Scotty icon, you can select which tab you want opened.

Also, you can change the tab that Scotty opens to in the start menu icon by making the following change.

1. Locate the icon

2. Right-click on it and select Properties

3. For the "Target:", append a space and then -activex. You should do this outside the quotes

4. Click OK

5. Now your start-menu icon will open directly to the ActiveX tab.”

Keeping Windows XP Relevant and Secure

You like retro and refuse to give up on your beloved Windows XP operating system.  But how to keep it secure, given that the tech world moves on and cares little for backward compatibility.  MSE is gone (for XP) and Microsoft refuses to support XP anymore (meaning security holes will stay there forever).  In my experience, most antivirus solutions are now too heavy for smooth operation.  Given these problems, here’s how I recently secured a friends XP to make it a security bulldog without dragging its performance down.

Anti-Exploit Freeware/Software List

Your computer might have a chink in it's armor.  A weakness or hole in its defenses, an unforseen path through which entry can be gained, a vulnerability in your operating system (windows) or a program running on it .

How do you increase the effectiveness of your computer security and block a malicious program or script from taking advantage of these weaknesses?  You do so by adding a protective layer that addresses this problem. You add anti-exploit software.  Your anti-virus actively protects your system, but you can supplement it with passive protection which makes penetrating it a lot harder.  Here’s a list, and quick description, of some of the anti-exploit products available for free.  Also, make sure your system and software is up-to-date:  this plugs most vulnerabilities.

Herobrine - The Minecraft Man of the Year.

Minecraft Tips! - 'Nuff Said

Mobs - Monstery Minecraft

BE CAREFUL! - A Minecraft Warning

Potions - Minecraft Kool-Aid

Witches - Minecraft Hags without Brooms

Cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens - Minecraft Critters

Ender Pearls - Minecraft Teleportation

Skeleton Archers - Minecraft Bone Meal

Fireworks - Minecraft Explosions

How to run Minecraft when Java update fails (1603 or some stupid error)

I’ve had this problem the last 2 times I’ve updated my java run time environment.  And both times was a serious headache.  First, it wouldn’t update through java itself.  Second, I went to java and tried their installer … which failed.  Third, I downloaded their offline versions (both for 32 and 64 bit) and tried multiple times to install … and always the same, it failed to install.  I disabled my antivirus and all security, I uninstalled java, I cleaned my registry manually and via numerous cleaners, I tried in safe mode, I used javara to clean up things before trying, and everything always fails.  Bla!!!

If you’re tired of this continual nonsense, here’s a quick way to get Minecraft (with its java heart) up and going again (or at least to when the next java update comes out, which might fix everything … likely not).

Build your own Bitdefender Security Suite ... For Free

This is not a daily giveaway article, but something far better.  How to build Bitdefender Total Security!!  For Free.

Bitdefender is a top antivirus company, the cream of the crop.  Their engine is arguably the best, with few contenders to challenge its effectiveness.  They have a very robust suite to protect your system, and its very effective (head over to bitdefender.com to see the price).  We will make the closest thing we can, give or take a few pieces (abet, important ones ... but beggars can't be choosers).

Tested: The Lightest Free Antivirus (To Boot or get the Boot)

I have the weakest netbook laptop available.  I need an antivirus that doesn’t take forever to start and shut down my machine.  And I don’t want my system to be all gummed up and frozen.  In addition, my friend has an old XP and asked for recommendations for protection.  MSE won’t run on his system anymore and while some still offer support for XP, they are too heavy for it.  The professional labs did some testing for performance, but their recommendations don’t even approach reality when run on my weak, weak system.  And each seems to have a different criteria for `running lightly’.  My criterion is boot speed, physical memory used, and the percent of the CPU utilized.  My tests were informal and for personal reasons, I now submit to help others.  Testing time was beginning of 2014.

Test machine:  Windows 7 starter running on an Intel atom (N450, single core) processor.   1 Gb RAM.  160 Gb HDD.  A base system restore point was created.  Wise 360 was the boot analyzer.  Process Hacker provided additional information.  Antivirus was installed, tested, uninstalled via Wise Uninstaller, and then system restored for the next program.

I like to have phishing protection and most free antivirus’ do not offer full protection.  If an antivirus solution did not have its own built in protection, I ran Mcafee Site Advisor.  AVG and Panda each have their own proprietary equivalent protection:  So with each of these I ran their software and deleted Site Advisor.  (as stated, testing was for personal, not scientific reasons ... hence unusual criteria).

Tangerine bank will steal your money – don’t trust them

This is a follow-up article on my continued mugging by the Tangerine bank.  As I had previously reported in, Rotten oranges at the Tangerine bank, I had some problems transferring my money to another institution.  Being a slow learner, and a tad masochistic, I again attempted to transfer my money.  Here’s the run down:

Firefox bites the hand that feeds it

Mozilla recently decided to enter a no win, hostile, socially politically correct battle.  Why?  Because they lack business sense.  For details, see Firefox’s Unusual Approach to Decreasing it's Browser Share.   Why does this garner a follow up article?  Because in light of them choosing to alienate a large segment of the planet, they then apparently began to bleed money and now have to beg for it.

Firefox’s Unusual Approach to Decreasing it's Browser Share

Firefox’s newer versions are pretty solid.  And with the demise of Opera presto, Firefox should have seen a jump in market share.  However, behind a decent product lies a cacophony of  numb-skulls that believe misguided political correctness is more important than business dominance. 

Rotten Oranges at the Tangerine Bank

Yep, it’s now old news … ING Canada has been bought by Scotiabank:  and they renamed it the Tangerine Bank.  I was never an ING customer, but was lured to open a Tangerine account by their “I’ll give you $50” to open an account bargain.  Plus, I like the color orange.  I received my $50 and was pleased with them.  That was my first dealings with them, and if I had written this then, this article would swoon about their awesomeness;  I’m easy that way, give me some money and I’ll like you.  However, cost me some money and the honeymoon’ll be over.  How long did it take them to cost me some money?  Surprisingly quick actually, on my second dealings with them.