How does one break this cycle? More importantly, what happens if we don’t?
Heaven & Earth Karunesh
Around the Farm
Finding Our Way
The 7th Saying in the Gospel of Thomas is entirely different than words spoken by Jesus in the New Testament. It says:
(7) Jesus said, “Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man.”
Rather than try and understand this saying by replacing the word ‘lion’ with a word or phrase and then determining if the saying remains true on both sides of the parable (blessed is a lion and cursed is a man), lets step back from that mechanical approach and ask if this saying provides insight into the spiritual world that God created and our relationship to Him in that realm? If we can, then an interpretation of the 7th Sayings could be:
God created spiritual powers and forces for man to subdue and wield; they enhance and complete the man and both are returned to God and live in the Kingdom. Should these forces consume and subdue the man he falls away from God and the powers return God.
Daily Cabin
Fleeting Moment
Man’s days are as grass, it blossoms like a flower of the field. The wind blows and it is gone, and its place it knows no more.
-Psalm 103
Return To Your Soul -Asha
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Daily Cabin Fix
Timber
Drove into Huntsville today to retrieve the trailer and haul a 4 wheeler back up to the farm. Son-in Law took them down two weeks ago in order to scope out some property that he was considering investing in. I needed the trailer to haul some corn and sweet mix for the cows, and I’m planning on picking up a deer stand and some lumber later in the week. More here
Interlude: Above the Infinite Rest
My Neck of the Woods
Not much chance of catching a weather break here in southern Tennessee. The heat is bad for fishing and we could really use some cooler temps as deer season approaches; opening of bow season is this Saturday (22nd).
This will be the first season that I’ve hunted with a bow (actually cross-bow) and was looking forward to dropping a monster. That’s not going to happen any time soon as the bucks will stay well hidden away until the weather cools. Next week (below) shows some moderation.
On the upside, the cross-bow I picked up throws bolts down range at 370 FPS. That’s a blistering speed for a $300 bow. It came with a inexpensive scope but will still group three bolts in an inch at 30 yards.
The Awakening
Via Running Cause I Cannot Fly.
“Ex Obscurum” (From Darkness). Featuring original poetry narrated by the author Matthew Schwartz.
“The Awakening”
“Remnants of my arrogance
Crumbles like ancient paper.
Why have me suffer this way?
Knowing I’m unable to lift myself up?
My dreams of grandeur are dead.
Glory is no mortal treasure;
Only a mirage for a lost soul.
Booze and drugs do not know my pain.
My body fails me.
My skin yellow, my vision dim.
I come to you burned and beaten.
Still clinging to these toxic vines,
The last rays of sunlight fading.
Is something or someone listening?
Hear my prayer:
Cut from me these twisted limbs.
Or, let me perish and be free at last.
I’ve failed at both life and death;
Must I wallow in this hideous morass,
Giving back nothing of any worth?
Death should have come many times past.
Why have you thwarted my retreat?
This is no pardon for a man like me.
To change I’ve tried, but look at me:
On the floor begging for eternal peace.
Begging you for one final breath.
Is this the mercy that befits your loving omnipotence?
Should I live one more moment of one more day,
Let it be free from hate.
Let it be unspoiled by fear,
Unencumbered by shameful lies.
Let it be imperfectly human.
To the power of all powers I come here now.
Spirit over all spirits I need your help.
You have always known,
When like a burning match my life was flickering.
No mere accident has kept this heart beating.
Could these odds persist year after perilous year?
No! To your power I surrender. But what now?
The black spots on this leopard are many.
Only a stroke from your sacred brush could change me.
To one knee, I lift my broken body.
Salty tears wet my parched lips.
My dingy railroad flat on Second Street glows.
The fog clears from my blurry eyes.
The burden of my regrets and guilt lift
away.
Loneliness and despair evaporate,
Like a dewdrop in the midday sun,
A voice within me, but not within calls.
Like thunder after a passing storm
The rumbling echo speaks softly:
“You are never alone. I love you enough to let you suffer.
I love you enough to let you choose between
Light or darkness;
Love or hate.”
– Spadecaller
The Prologue
I have heard that no great undertaking should begin without first asking for God’s blessing. This is doubly so here as we endeavor to discover more of our God and what requirements/responsibilities, if any, He would assign us.
The paths taken by each of us in this life are many, solitary and unique. Life is different for each man and we live it alone save the spirit of God. It can be no other way. Along a path in my walk of life I came across the Gospel of Thomas. And so my sincere prayer to God is that I can understand what he would have me know through this work.
Along this path, one of life’s many, I pause to dip my toes in the waters that flow within the Gospel of Thomas —here—
Confusion (Verses versus Verses)
I’ve always thought that there is/was an upside to confusion. Being confused usually tells us that a piece of information that we have is wrong or doesn’t fit. I suppose the scribe that worked on transcribing Thomas’ work ran into a real head scratching moment when he got to the 5th, 6th and 14th sayings. Go here for the ‘as written’ texts along with how I think they should have been compiled.
Old 207 Homestead
I finally stopped and took a couple of photos of an old homestead that is along Al. Hwy 207 roughly 3 miles south of the Tennessee line. For a couple of reasons I’ve been reluctant to take photos anywhere except on my own property. One of those reasons is that unless you have a death wish you don’t just—More—
The Cave
In book VII of ‘The Republic’ Plato crafts a narrative between Socrates and Plato’s brother, Glaucon. It’s a thought provoking piece that, written roughly 400 years before the birth of Christ, is commonly referred to as ‘The Allegory of the Cave’. A paraphrase of the Cave and an caffeine induced correlation to Christ on the cross– here
The Elephant
The Blind Men and the Elephant is a famous Indian fable that tells the story of six blind sojourners that come across different parts of an elephant in their life journeys. In turn, each blind man creates his own version of reality from that limited experience and perspective.
I thought the fable was particularly emblematic of why Christs disciples may have had trouble defining him. More here.
Paine and the Age of Reason
The Age of Reason highlighted what Thomas Paine saw as the corruption of the Christian Church and its efforts to acquire political power. He found both new and old testaments unreasonable and could not see a logical, coherent relationship between man and God. He did what we so often do (created our own God) and advocated for reason over revelation and rejected the idea of miracles. Effectively he created a God that worked for him. As you might expect, Paine produces a compelling series of arguments. This is all the more reason to be cautious before accepting his ideas and making them your own– just because it’s a compelling argument made by a man of great stature doesn’t make it true.