the jesus idol

What Does it Mean 2 Follow Jesus?

2010-03-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

no, i'm not posing that question really.

well, maybe i am, but mostly i was just thinking about that concept and what i thought jesus meant when he told peter ... don't worry about what john is or isn't doing, you follow me.

actually, it was the title to the song that my daughter and two of her church friends sang in this past sunday's service at st. paul's in the desert. its a sweet song about helping your sister, sharing with your friends and feeding the hungry.

and, i suppose it was fate, destiny or god's will that the song did not get sung on the intended sunday -- that being the first sunday of lent. because in that service jesus was awfully salty in his admonishment in the scene just following the ascension -- you know, the one where, after god speaks and says, "listen to my son," the very first thing jesus "says" is he blasts everyone out for not being able to just "do it." unabashedly impatient that they still need him to yet again show them how its done. its interesting to me that he loses his patience with their lack of self-empowerment and their 'omg, you're so awesome' attitudes.

and that was the only real issue i had to point out to my daughter in that song -- it said that "to follow jesus" she could "sing his praises in both word and song." not after that scene in the bible!

so, why do we do it? "worship jesus" that is? he definitely never said or asked anyone to do that. so, why do we feel like we need to do it? perhaps it is because we worship something we think is soooo much more powerful than ourselves, so we can excuse ourselves from our inability to "just do it" ... much like those he was frustrated with back in the day. and, just like then, i suspect that jesus is likely just as impatient with our modern self-effacing, "jesus" worshipping wannabes. after all, when's the last time, you performed a miracle just because you could?

i'm just saying, its something to think about.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Realizations in the Midst of the Journey

2010-02-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

If you are a spiritual person, everything that happens to you in life you connect to the spiritual or deeper meaning of your life, your purpose, your very existence. And, there are times when you can reflect on the past and reconcile its meaning with your present place in your journey.

Such is a time for me. In questioning, "why or why is this happening to ME?" as we all do at some point or another, its a rare moment when the answer comes and says to you, "This is why, tell this story now." The Clark County School District in Las Vegas Nevada is trying to send me to prison. To this end, they have been largely successful in their efforts -- and while I realize that whistle-blowing to the media when they let a child walk out the front door of our school may be the obvious reason they are trying to do that -- scapegoat me to save face -- it is not, I believe the only or the real reason.

I've told this story before, but I can't find it now, so I'll tell it again -- like a good storyteller, I will try to bring it to life once again. Like the retelling of the stories in the gospels with slight nuances to bring broader meanings to a simple tale.

In January 2009, my daughter's elementary school was set to present in the Dr. Martin Luther King parade in Las Vegas, Nevada. They begun preparing in December when I learned what the school's presentation was going to be. A dance by the girls and, theoretically the boys could join too, but doubtful they would want to dance to a song called "Candy Girl."

Now, I'm old(er) and I remember "Candy Girl" -- its a sweet song by New Edition. A very innocent song if you compare it to other songs like Soulja Boyz' "Crank Dat" previously approved by the school for functions. But coming from a child's perspective, it has some very grown-up or perhaps just teenage innuendos about the relationship of a boy and a girl, including those of a physical and sexual nature. And, coupled with the presentation at the school of songs like "Crank Dat," the innocence is soon lost, and a clear message is sent to the girls: you are "candy girls" to be looked at and thought of how good a girl makes him feel "in every way" -- you are a sexual objects. And, boys, you are supposed to sexualize girls at age 6, 7, 8, etc.

As an adult, I appreciate that -- that subtle lesson being taught. Now, sexuality is not a bad thing. And, that thought when you are growing in young love is a wonderful one and one I hope every person on the planet gets to feel everyday in healthy, life affirming, empowering circumstances.

BUT . . .
Real World Context

This is Las Vegas, Nevada, land of perversion. Sin City is where these 1st through 5th grade girls are being put on parade as "Candy Girls" to be "thought of" in every way by those watching -- and they are not just their classmates of equal age where the sexual innuendos of the song would likely fly right over their heads -- but paraded before older boys, young men, old men.

In a city where there are four strip bars within
a block or two of the parade route.

In a city where we have frequent ten o'clock
news stories of another underage, 11, 12, 13 year olds,
prostitution ring has been broken up.

In a city where girls in g-strings and pasties
"Girls right to your door" are
handed out on postcards on the street
and plastered on rolling billboards
circulating all over town.

Now, I am not going to be a hypocrite because this is not about "Sin City." There are adult choices adults make that create our environment and I do not think the mere existence of this environment is wrong -- its not something I judge that way -- this is about the safety and security of our children.

Security first and foremost on a very practical level -- those being of sexual predators. Now, if such a predator (and Las Vegas has its disproportionate share of them) knows exactly where they can find some "Candy Girls" -- at my daughter's school.

Security first and foremost on a developmental level -- sex education is a regulated part of our public schools. Regulated with good reason. And until the 5th grade, and then ONLY with specific parent approval, are our public schools supposed to introduce sexual concepts, even if those concepts are hidden in the lyrics of a song, the ideas of relationship development into the sexual context are premature for children of ages under 12, and then, even for some older kids, they are still not ready -- hence the regulation of parent approval for such education to be given in our academic settings. This is a educational basic.

Security first and foremost on a spiritual level -- the degradation of women to that of the oppressed, violated, battered or conditioned whore in our society comes from a breakdown of the innate spiritual connection within a woman that begins when she is a girl. Who she becomes as a woman is crafted in her childhood. School, both academically and socially, plays a large role in the sculpting of those values in a child.

As parents, we try to expose and protect our children naturally from the things we feel we need to protect them from as they grow up. Some of us limit television, some only allow G movies, others don't allow certain music, still others immerse their lives in a circle of community where common sensibilities maintain a level of protection preventing exposure to that which we feel are detrimental to our child's spiritual development. We all have different levels of protection, but all parents have the need to protect.

As a parent, I did that. I filed a Public Concern Form with the Clark County School District asking them why they were putting our little girls on parade to be "Candy Girls" at age 8-9-10, etc. The system of politics in Las Vegas, Nevada need Candy Girls to be developed so the system of perversion that creates the corruption that is very obvious on many levels and very hidden on other levels.

The school and the school district saw nothing wrong with the parade or the context in which they presented our elemetnary girls. My Public Concern Form basically informed them they were "pimping" our girls -- although I did not use those words. And, they are. Through their system of failing to follow the Regulations that are in place, they put their agenda ... and it is an agenda when you put together all the little, tiny nuances of sexual education they introduce in our schools without calling it such. God, they say, is in the details.

So, I confront that perversion in our educational system in Las Vegas, Nevada -- that is one reason they want to put me in prison. Be a witness anyway -- do not be afraid. Wherever you are, in your own way, be a witness for the truth you know to be right. Jesus said, "render to Caesar what is Caesar," but God gave us our children to raise for God. Caesar's school system cannot take from us what is God's, we must protect them and I need your help to do that, because for me, this is a spiritual battle for my child and all our children.

Together, we can build a place where by the operation of our own laws and family values, our children are protected. Please, help me do that in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Petition powered by ThePetitionSite.com

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Faith in the Unknown Present

2010-01-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

"no word yet."

not quite yet.
our faith is being tested in the place of our ancestors.
well, not mine, per se, but the home of my husband's and my daughter's ancestors.

haiti.

what a challenge of our faith and demonstration of god's grace.

even without knowing, we know our family is fine. they are smart, they are prepared, they know how to handle anything -- if they work together. so, for our family in haiti we hold in the place of faith of god's mercy and the same fortitude of survival that flows through the veins of our relatives.

when times get tough, the tough get going.

its time for the tough to get going.

we are all in the midst of the unknown . . . after the earthquake, after the verdict, after that which could not be predicted or even expected, you find yourself not on solid ground, but on ground that shakes with the movement of something bigger than you.

it is your faith that allows you to perceive even the movement of tectonic plates or political swirls of character assignation and abuse of power, that "everything is ok." no matter what comes your way, god never gives you more than you can handle.

tomorrow when the sun comes up, the grace will be there once again to help you create a new world from the ravages of the old one. and your choices will once again reveal your faith.

my swirl is caused because i love my daughter, perhaps much like god loves us. and, i will be a witness for the world i want my daughter to live in -- i will move to change the world to be a place where i want her to experience the joy of living. i will move to change the world to be a place of equity, respect, truth and empowerment for my daughter.

i chose to do that in the public schools of las vegas, nevada.

my swirl has caused the need in some to come against me and use the power they have against the truth . . . the bigger truth on which my faith is founded.

and i choose to do this despite the seeming futility of it all.

i choose to do this despite the resistance to what i say.

i choose to do it because . . . it needs to be done.

the political forces of las vegas, nevada want our little girls, our daughters (especially those of certain demographics), to be paraded (literally) as "candy girls" in a parade to honor dr. martin luther king, jr. downtown, las vegas, nevada -- with its strip bars and out-of-control underage prostitution -- is the venue for this presentation of our school girls.

imagine, for a moment if you will, dr. king looking down at a parade in his honor -- everything he stood for, everything he fought for, everything he said, and there's a public school, with a black female principal, who thinks that its appropriate and acceptable to present a dance to "Candy Girl" -- "you make me feel so good in every way" candy girl.

politicians and administrators, using the public schools, have taken our little girls -- in the second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, even the first grade -- and said, "that's what they are, 'candy girls!'" all the way to the superintendent of schools, that's appropriate education for our daughters.

yes, they do not like me for being a witness to the values and truths i was raised with in the church. because i stood up as a witness to what as i saw as being wrong, they are persecuting me in our courts -- trying to put me in prison. but, that's ok -- it really is.

because now you know.

and, if parents do not stand up and say to our schools who are failing our community in the education of our children, that, "no! our children do not belong to 'caesar,' they belong to god. and little girls are not to be pimped by our schools. and, little boys are not to be taught how to disrespect girls that way in our schools."

the community must stand together to witness the truth of raising a child in the safety and security of high moral ethics, and hold our schools and administrators accountable for the educational sanctuary they deserve. they do not have to have prayer in our schools, if they just preserve a high moral and ethical space for the children to live and learn while they are in the care of the schools.

stand as a witness for your child even if it throws you into an earthquake of after shocks that you cannot predict or even know what to do in the moment. it is the earth we stand on and she's not going anywhere but 'round the sun. faith in the truth that eclipses all the definitions and labels is where our strength is found.

for haiti. for our children. for our world. be a servant and a witness.

peace & harmony,
elaine
"freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!"

Love to Haiti and A Dose of Castor Oil for Pat Robertson

2010-01-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

First ... all thoughts, prayers and energy specifically to our family in Haiti. We are one with you in your suffering, we seek to bear it with you to help you withstand the pain. Sending love, hope, faith and tomorrow's sunrise to fill your spirits with joy and strength.

and now, the castor oil -- because sometimes soap isn't enough. If Pat Robertson's mother was still alive, no doubt, she would have a bar of Lava for the darkness her son increased in the world.

"I give you not a spirit of fear . . . " That's in the Bible somewhere.

I met Pat Robertson once. Ironically, like now, it was at a time of "crisis" -- a fire in the hotel hosting many of the representatives from the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International convention happening in Anaheim, California. Our family (well, most of my family, me being the third eldest was not yet old enough to stay at home with my two sisters, so, I must have been no more than 11 or 12 at the time), traveled to Anaheim to attend the convention filled with evangelical christian superstars and their groupies (for lack of a better description).

I remember the early days of the "evangelical" christian "non-demoninational" movement, and the FGBMF, Pat Robertson, The 700 Club was a part of that birth that has resulted in things like the "Christian Coalition," among other things.

Today, unfortunately, I must reflect on the words of Pat Robertson in response to the extreme tragedy in Haiti. They echo the words of the pastor in the Dutch Orthodox Church where the services for my paternal grandmother was held. A god of hate. A god of punishment. A god so cruel and angry at his creation that surely we do not expect his grace because we are so undeserving. Basically, a god absent all the things I believe God is. And, because God is everything, I suppose that is a part of "God" too . . . but I prefer to keep that part of God as far away from me as possible.

Pat Robertson is "a Christian leader." LOL! Is he one of your's? Really? Still?!!!!!!!

Like when Katrina happened, God was punishing us for our love for all humanity and the knowledge that what all God created is good, equally deserving of our love and respect -- after all, it really couldn't be the gays that caused God to bring so much judgment on New Orleans, is it? But, truly, how ungodly are we as a nation because . . . not, of course, because we embark in violence and countless murders of innocent human beings in pre-emptive wars . . . but ungodly because we no longer stone gay men and women, and allow them to exist in some increasing level of personal respect, human dignity and equality in light of the prejudices they have faced for years and years and years.

Pat, really. Would God really do that?

Send the earthquake to Haiti because they fought for a found their independence before we did here in America? Or, did they really have to do a "deal with the devil" and now God is paying them back? It can't be possible that a people so filled with self-determination could have risen up and claimed their birthright as sovereign people -- in doing so, inspire some young minds here in a America to think that it really was possible. No -- of course not. They had to make a deal with the devil because they have a different way of living according to their own choice and destiny . . . their own journey within their own stone polisher that happens to be different then say the one Mr. Robertson is in here in America?

And, he and I are in the same stone polisher and he and I are rubbing together in this pot we call America. But, perhaps Mr. Robertson is not reading the same teachings I read in my Bible. I mean, could it be, that in this crazy world God created, the Earth has her cycles and they happen to hit places where human beings live . . . and tragedy strikes us equally based on our needs to learn, journey and grow?

Or maybe, just perhaps,
could it possible that these things happen
exclusively as a form of grace for wayward
wannabe "christians"?

Katrina and Haiti happen to be an act of God but not in deliberation of judgment for some obscure judgment that Pat Robertson seems to think in his egocentric and inhumane and NWJWD (not-what-jesus-would-do) manner, full of hate, judgment and disrespect. An act of grace and mercy exclusively for Mr. Robertson and his need to learn how to be a human being.

Oh, and about that time when I was a child and met Pat Robertson, I was all alone, well, my younger brother was with me, he was maybe 7 or 8 at the time. I was looking for my parents. We had come down to the lobby and were waiting on them when the alarms started going off. So, we were standing in the lobby, right in the middle with people frantically streaming toward the front doors to get out of the building, and I am standing there in the middle of them, grasping my brother's hand, looking for my parents. I kept scanning the people, hundreds of them at this point, and "boom!"

I was knocked to the ground, my brother falling with me. I look up and its Pat Robertson who has knocked me down and dropped something he was carrying. I quickly stood up and said, "Hi Mr. Robertson" (he was, after all, in our house, a bit of a 'superstar'), and I went down to help him pick up the books and papers he had dropped.

"Leave this stuff alone and get out of the way, don't you know there's a fire!" Was his reply. I stood up quickly, not sure how to react as he grabbed his last book and rather gently pushed me and my brother aside and said over his shoulder to the person following him, "this way, there's the door."

The person with him did not follow Mr. Robertson. I did not know the man, but he stopped and asked me in accented English, "Are you ok?" "Yes, but I cannot find my parents." I replied. "Stay with me, we'll find them." And as he turned around, of course, there were my parents coming right towards us. "There they are!" I exclaimed. And, so there they were and the Korean man went on his way with the rest of the crowd as we joined my parents and baby sister then also evacuated the hotel.

"What were you doing with Pastor Cho?" Asked my mom who recognized the stranger who helped us. "He was helping us find you," I replied. (Pastor David Cho is a mega-superstar pastor from Korea.)

Running in fear was Pat Robertson. Seizing an opportunity to serve was Paster Cho. No more than God sent that fire to "punish" those of us in Anaheim, California did God send an earthquake to "punish" our family in Haiti. Spewing hatred, untruths and fear mongering once again is Pat Robertson, again like Katrina, completely missing the amazing opportunity to serve that was packaged wrapped with a bow on top just for him courtesy of God's grace and Mother Nature.

Mr. Robertson still does not understand on the most basic human level the love of God, God's compassion and Jesus' calling to serve and serve and serve.

Shame on you, Pat Robertson. While you are a very distant, distant relative of mine as we are all children of God, but you most certainly are not close to the calling I find when I use the label description "christian." And, I request you stop using the Lord's name in vain.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Dinner with the "Enemy"

2009-12-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

As you know, Jesus said, "Follow me."

Did he mean that literally, to follow him around like a puppy dog, or did he mean, follow in my footsteps, follow my example?

As impatient as he got with the disciples when they did put their brains on hold and followed him around like he was a guru or something waiting for him to give them their answers . . . he always redirected them to live the truth he exemplified and tried to teach them, I surmise that the latter was his dictate.

No matter what happens, you have to live YOU -- the God within you must become alive in YOUR walk. Even if the world views you as crazy, stupid or a menace, go boldly in your faith, your truth and your convictions. When the world stands in judgment of you for being you -- your unique expression of God -- KNOW that you are doing it! You are doing that which Jesus told us and taught us to do.

When you are afraid to take a stand and do what's right, remember, we are invited to sit at the table with our enemies -- those who would come against us, those who would throw us in jail, those who say "you are wrong because we say so." What the world says, and what is right -- well, God gave you discernment to understand the truth in your own unique light and view. And, the truth is, even if they don't know it, they are really not your enemies, they are just another part of God's truth working its way to the light of our collective experience.

Use it. Follow Jesus. Don't be afraid of what may happen to you. God's got your back even if it looks like this world is winning at the moment!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

"What are YOU thinking?!"

2009-11-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

elaine clermont is thinking how lazy we can get on FB and other quick "check in" applications! i just ended a sentence with a preposition after ragging so hard having found an instance of the same in a 6th grade Language textbook!

YIKES!

but perhaps one of these things is not like the other . . .

it goes back to intention.

the ever so important, yet often silent question never asked when one is seeking information on that which is in chaos.

"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him;
and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All things were made by him;
and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All things were made by him;
and without him was not any thing made that was made. "
John 1:1-5

but no "why?"
the "why?" is missing.

so, i ask you . . . should we stop teaching them how to write well by using text books that use exemplary language and writing skills? or should we let them teach them that to write well, according to historic context, you must consciously know when and if it is appropriate to end your sentence with a preposition!

live and let die in our wake
or
live and let live on?

god is always about balance. perhaps it is true: that there is a season for all things.

jesus lived and let live once again.

why can't we?

there are no mistakes in the eyes of the most awesome thing you claim to worship, so why are you still accepting the shame?

do you worship an idol without any power or do you follow in his footsteps, with that kind of power?

and that is to answer my "what are you thinking?" question of today.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

The Ethics of Jesus

2009-08-31T20:59:00.001-07:00

Are you a rule follower?

Have you noticed in your dealings in your life that our society has more and more become affixed to the adherence to "the rules" and "procedures" and "directions" than we are to using our own judgment, our own discretion and our own choices to live our lives, do our jobs, interrelate with others?

This is a problem. Rule followers worship the Jesus idol. Sure, they think they are doing the right thing, after all, its "right" to follow the rules, isn't it?

I don't know, what rules are you following? Do they contradict the purpose and destiny Jesus has given you to fulfill? Do they feel wrong when you measure them against your innate and instinctive actions consistent with what you feel is right?

Jesus did not give much weight to the rules of his time, and if you are following Jesus, then you too should examine this question of "should I or should I not follow the rules?"

This question is one that is paramount in this time on our earth. This question is not just for those who are in power, but it is for the everyday person . . . the postal worker, the bank employee, the power company customer service representative, the teacher, the politician, the policy maker, the police man, the mother and the student.

Abdication of your own self-determination of choice based on the situation God has presented for you to experience, whether it is in your job, your life, your school, your interactions with other people, is one of the biggest ways to separate yourself from God.

Every time, in every experience, in every situation when you know what you should do or know what you feel is right to do, and you choose to say, "No, the 'rules say ...'" to shut down your inner knowing, your inner voice, close off your connection with God ... you are separate yourself from God in a blind following of an idol that replaces the truth you know with something artificial and arbitrarily established by man to create a false experience, a false truth, an illusion of reality that is not connected to the flow of the Spirit through you.

So many people are soooooo afraid to lose their job because the "rules" tell them "_______ is the answer." So, regardless of what they feel and know to be right, they follow the rules. In essence, you put another god (the rules of man) before God -- that which you know is right when you are connected to the Spirit of God.

Because in truth, the truth you know of how you should handle the situation is a result of your connection with God. Supplanting that knowledge with the rules of man, of your boss, of the company, is where we separate from God, and fall into the ways of idolatry. To follow the rules out of fear, well, that is the way of the Devil.

That is not to say, you should say "screw the company, I'm going to do this, this and this because I think its right!" But if you place yourself under the authority of man who takes from you YOUR ability to choose and be discerning, you have placed yourself under an ungodly authority.

No one who stands in the power of God will take another person's connection to God and supplant it with their own. Those who are truly in the power of God want to support and uplift the power of God in others -- building in you, your own personal connection to the voice of God as to what is right. Godly people do this for you, even in something as mundane as your job.

What is right is known to you. If you choose to be connected to God, based the experience you have before you, you know what is right, and if you don't know, you should seek help and seek the answer so you can learn more about your connection to God. Each experience of life is test of your connection to what is real (God) vs. what is false (the World). Who do you follow?

Jesus taught us to follow our own connection with God -- that path supersedes all the laws and rules of man that do not feel right in our own spirits.

Stop following the rules. If you are Godly, you don't need to be told "don't kill anyone." You already know that to be right. You don't need to be told that war is tool of coveting, killing and murder. You already know that, because the Spirit of God gave us some general commandments or rules to make that perfectly clear even when man tries to twist it with fear and lies.

Follow the higher ethics of the spirit of God, and if you get fired for it, God has something oh, so much better for you to build a deeper connection, receive greater joy and fulfillment in the time you spend here on earth!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Mom Is a Spiritual Warrior

2009-05-08T09:57:00.001-07:00

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

"Christians" playing at "Christmas"

2008-12-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

i love the holiday season. as a child it pretty much sucked. my mom was "forced" by us kids to cop to the "American consumer Christmas" . . . and when she fought to maintain some kind of balance with what she knew christmas was about, she was in so much denial of herself that it was forced and, of course, we rebelled against the lies her actions made of her words. its only a natural thing for a child to do.

so . . . what, as i wonder with all these Escalades roaming around right now, shopping at walmart filling up their car as fast as they can and rolling home to empty it before heading to toys-r-us to fill it up again . . . on the back of their car they wear their calling cards: a yellow ribbon to support the troops, the little boy kneeling before the cross praying, and for good measure, "my child is on the honor role" . . . a proud Christian, American parent.

you know, jesus was a rebel. that's what he did his entire life. took what was presented as "real" and the "truth" and he challenged it, and quite forthrightly told people when they were not being consistent. and you thought he merely died for your sins . . . that's funny. he died for the sins of everyone who wouldn't stand with him in support of the truth that we all really know but are usually so far in denial that it is our responsibility to stand up for it . . . yes, i suppose he did die for your sins and those like you who lived at his time.

Is ANYHING we see around us consistent?

what is missing is the "why?" from our self-reflective experience life is supposed to be . . . that inward journey to find god while interacting in the world.

i don't know, i'm just looking for a couple of christians who think that it is inappropriate for my 3rd grade daughter's elementary school's "dance team" performs a dance to "Candy Girl" for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade here in las vegas . . . seems to me, that a song about boys talking about how sexy, hot and tasty their girls are is not quite appropriate?

and even after all this time denial is still the modus operandi, "Christians" . . . i have yet to meet one, a 'christian' that is, here in las vegas, and las vegas has more churches per capita than any other place in the united states and all those churches are filled with really good "Christians."

am i the weird one?

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back . . .

2008-11-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Oh, America
...
Oh, "Christian" America
...
Why can't we learn
things the first time?

And, just as the white church did in the 1960s, the church -- black and white -- are leading the way now. Leading the way of intolerance, of inequality, of prejudice, of denial of ourselves ... because as Jesus said, "that which you do to the least of these, you do to me." And, all across America the Church denied people's right to be married -- whether civilly or under God. Shame on you.

But, we know the church's foundation is Peter, the head denier of them all . . . and thus, we inherit the denial of truth in the foundations and structures of our churches. When WILL the rooster sound for the final time?

Do you REALLY think that Jesus would be opposed to two people joining in love and commitment? I realize that YOU may have a problem with it ... but do you think Jesus would?

If you say yes, I venture you are trying to justify ignoring his lessons of tolerance, acceptance of other's and their individual journeys without judgment. If you can give me one lesson of his that supports your prejudice and denial of equal rights to any other person for any reason, PLEASE, give it to me. I challenge you ... no old testament stuff, no letter from Paul ... Jesus, his lessons ... show it to me. And, if you can't, PLEASE look in the mirror and ask yourself, "why can I not just follow him? Why do I have to look for justification for my denial of equality to another human being?"

And, while you are at it, tell me why the two amazing girls in this blog are denied their right to have a family, equally, under the law?

Less than 40 years ago, it was the church who said that my marriage to my husband is an abomination to God . . . here, I sit with the truth. And, the source of that lie is the source of the one you voted for on 5 November 2008.

There is no way to say this is good. No way to say this is Godly. No way to say that "Jesus led me here." Unless you live in the world of crafted and created in the lies of prejudice.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

when the walls close in

2008-09-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

god is bigger than ever.

in the midst of the darkest hours
when fear and the mind demons
come to play folly with your
dreams, it is the knowledge
that life is perfect in the
moment because you
and god are always
together in all
that you do.

remembering that your life and the moment you are in have a true, deep purpose that you may not yet understand breathes life into the fruits of the spirit. a simple knowing that gives joy when there should be nothing but disappointment and depression. faith is not tested in times of trouble, because in those times, all you have is faith. and from that faith springs hope, and from that hope flows love and forgiveness. because, in the end, that is what its about: forgiveness. the complete acceptance of what is without blame for what it is.

from there, the path you walk unfolds as you are patient and moved into action. real change happens when forgiveness is the springboard for your actions as they move you one step closer to love.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

the narrow path

2008-05-25T02:10:00.000-07:00

lies strewn to the side
* * *
as we sit to contemplate our connection to god.

i haven't thought about jesus in a while.
i mean specifically.
yet every moment is laced with god.
it made me think ...

that you have to do anything,
even think about ...
pray to ...
worship ...
praise ... jesus christ
to have god dwelling within you
is contrary to the belief
that god dwells within you.

focusing thoughts on things that are contrived,
things that you feel you just "must do" ...
things that you do "for them" ...
thoughts that are based on someone else's reminders
about what it is to be connected to god:
what its like on their journey.

then the circular judgment (or comparison)
of a teaching to the journey of your own
is the complication religion and their leaders
contrary to the simple command
of the one who is The Teacher ...
"YOU, follow me."

since god dwells within ...
like it or not ...
defined or not ...
realized or not ...
accepted or not ...

i mean, god (however you look at god)
is the source of all.
and the source of all
cannot be separated from itself ...
right?

i guess we are all ok with where we are
unless we are not
and then its only a matter of acceptance
that god dwells within
and god's grace is
that "it is all good"
because god is good, right?

i think jesus would rather we skip
the external and live
the eternal.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

thoughts that drive away sleep

2007-08-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

because it must be time to write another entry, my thoughts return again and again to things of the past. things learned, things lost, things experienced.

things learned . . . oh so many hours of my youth spent in church, memorizing scriptures that echo in my mind's voice but lost in the shuffle of the preacher's choice. choice of words and meanings believed to be true, but all jesus said was to be you. "follow me" he said time and again, they didn't get it. they thought they were to be sheep. baaaaa, baaaaa, baaaaa.

and sheep they became rather than the "i am" that he freed for each of us to be like him ... to eclipse him ... to know the kingdom within was the only way. the only way to see god, to receive god, to be god. to be one with god, one first must be who we came to this place to be. and that's not a sheep following someone else, but to be the shepherd, the teacher, the master, the truth, the good news to the lost.

'follow me' he said, not literally as jesus never sought to bind us to a life of slavery. which is what the church and the preacher want us to be, a slave to their understanding no matter how limited it may be. 'follow me' and fulfill the promise, 'greater things than these will you be able to do,' if you so choose not to idolize me, but rather choose to follow me.

things lost . . . the only thing that is lost is the need to say 'baaaaa, baaaaa, baaaaa'. gone is the notion that i have no power, that i choose to exist in a world separate from god, that all my responsibility is lost because he died for me.

things experienced . . . the power of god flowing through my hand, the power of god flowing through my mind. able to merely will that which i want, just like him, which brings forth the thought 'what more can i do?' because god is limitless which means i am too. if i continue to choose not to have jesus save me, but to truly follow him . . . knowing i'm true. just like the truth he said that "i am", birthing myself, my own "i am."

following him, he never looked very far for someone to save him, be merely did it himself. so, follow i must, knowing he can't nor would he try to save me from myself, my life, my destiny, my journey, my name, my 'i am.' the word that existed far before you and me, is the same that exists even today if we choose it to be. down to the core where denial resides, that i am not god is the only true lie.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

i guess its friggin' time to appear here

2007-07-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

once again . . .

some of the anger has subsided . . .

some of the bruises have healed . . .

some things can be left unsaid . . .

and some things can't . . .

i don't know who said that . . . perhaps it was god.

but if god is good

and god created everything

then, it is all good

after that there's

only judgment

and pain

until u

say

no.

as for me and my house . . . "I will: " fill in your own blank.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

Hello America

2007-03-26T04:45:00.000-07:00

"Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done."

something about this video i received from a friend on myspace made me think about new orleans and what is happening there that we are not paying attention to because ... well, there's so much chaos in our lives, we really have been distracted and derailed by some very big liars.

Hello America

to the person who made the video, i just say ... thank you, we are working on it. and we hope you too get well soon. nice to see your recovery (and pulling out of troops) happening faster than our's ... beware of who actually may have 'captured' your men, we have a desperate addiction to self-righteousness, death and loneliness. there are many here who are not happy to see you on the road to recovery.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

17 March 2007 • Peace Is Free

2007-03-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

... because this gentleman's rant is so powerful as it tries to shake your mind as to what dr. martin luther king was talking about as a man of faith as it relates to war ... i'm just going to let this be my mouth piece on this blog for tomorrow ...

as a christian ... i seek the impeachment of the president and vice president of the united states and the dismantling of the entire federal government as we know it.

i want to build a new america that is based on the principles it was founded on through non-violent, truthful transformation. in jesus name, amen.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

p.s. happy birthday mom

do you ever wonder "who would jesus bomb?"

2007-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

if you haven't you should ... really ponder that question.

** stepping onto soapbox **

you know, all this yak-yak that "Christians" want to spew is disgusting, false and chicken shit. yeah, i said it, chicken shit.

just one view of this video and a reading of the sermon on the mount, and you cannot help but hear the lies of fear, judgment, revenge, prejudice, racism and hatred being spewed from our pulpits and on the "Christian" airways that jesus would in any way condone violence against another human being for ANY reason ... i'm tried of lying, weak, chicken shit "Christians." aren't you? justify what you want if you need to continue living in the lie you want to believe, but being violent individually or collectively against another human being is the worst witness of the fruits of the spirit.

** off soap box **

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

THE word of god ... follow-up

2007-02-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

ok ... i just gotta share this ...

this is something i received in my zaadz site email from a profile "KJV" ... which had no other name, of course. i did not click on the link so i have no idea what this is talking about other than the initial blurb ... i mean, is it me or did i get jesus so wrong, and this is what jesus meant for his "followers" to be doing with their time, energy and love?

Bible Versions
WHICH VERSION OF THE BIBLE IS THE REAL WORD OF GOD?
If you are a christian you need to check this out! http://www.biblediscernment.com/
I apologize for this e-mail but, not for it's content. This is a very serious issue facing Christians today. May God give you discernment in this matter. God Bless!

this is how i responded to this mysterious person code name "KJV" ...

hmmmmm …
an email with no names, interesting.

what is 'real' and what is “the” and what does “versions” have to do with any of it … “there is truth in everything, even a lie” and the truth always reveal itself … so i'm like, go with what you got, until what you got doesn't serve your truth any more and then search, knock and seek some more!

as if any mortal can say what is and isn't the real word of god. that's kinda funny to me.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

i found it interesting that the author of the email implemented, consciously or unconsciously, the "christian" and "Christian" variation i speak about somewhere in this blog. and, i suppose this may be important to "Christians", but it is not important to this "christian."

i don't know, sometimes i'm just a blonde girl and this stuff isn't so important to me in the grand scheme of looking at what is happening on the planet right now and jesus' commandments: "your greatest commandment is to love god, and the second one is about the same, love your neighbor as yourself." ok, i paraphrased it into the 'elaine' version ... nope, no lightning yet and i think i get the gist of the truth jesus was teaching across without a single thou.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

the bible is THE word of god

2007-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

... or the difference between "the" ('thuh') and "The" ('thee') ...

i memorized this version when i was a small child ...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (king james version)
¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

that scripture in particular is used time and time and time again to say that the bible is "The" word of god. the only word, usually. hmmmmm ... interesting.

it was interesting to me when i was in 3rd grade too ... i have less than a handful of teachers i remember, and mrs. kempton was one of them. as a student at a 'christian' school, we studied the bible every day. i had already memorized those verses of the bible whether for sunday school or just as one of my parent's required passages, when we began to study paul's letter to timothy in our class.

my hand went up ... i have a question.

i had learned that "scripture" was, "a sacred writing." i learned about the construction of the bible by emperor constantine. i was taught about the various authors of the books of the bible and their context and purposes. i had just learned that the books we were studying, timothy, were really a series of letters from paul to timothy.

and then we get to this part of our lesson ... my question was simple, "what scripture is paul writing about?" obviously, it could not have been the bible, the bible did not exist nor would paul even in his most grand ego trip consider the letters he was writing as scripture.

i suppose he could, but i just don't think that when paul was writing to timothy he was projecting that this letter here would be included in a book compiled by the command of the emperor of the roman empire and hence forever be called a scripture to which he would then be referring to in his letter.

my teacher, gave me a round about answer that really didn't answer my question. she just repeated that the bible is a scripture and that it is god's word. i was puzzled ... thankfully, so was she.

several days later, she spoke with me alone on the subject. she had discussed it with the school principal and others, and said at this school, what paul's letter to timothy meant that the bible was inspired by god and that the bible is "The" word of god. AND ... this is why she was a GOOD teacher ... she went on to say, that i was right. paul could not have possibly been talking about the bible, and that there were many scriptures paul was referring to in his letter to timothy.

that teacher gave me freedom. she gave me the freedom to believe that the bible is "the" word of god, but not "The" word of god. and while i believe that one may find god from the bible alone, the bible is not the only way to find god, and that god has inspired scripture after scripture after scripture after scripture; and continues to breath life in sacred writings even today.

for "christians" to continue in their claim that the bible is "The" word of god cuts them off from "the" word of god which has no judgment in love based on so many things created by man. it creates "us" and "them" and the separation from one another that they can never possibly bridge holding so tightly to "The" word of god. "The" word of god chokes the life from their lips, and allows the lie that paul's words to timothy create an exclusive scripture by which god speaks to man.

"the word of god is a lamp," let it light your journey and teach you that 'all scriptures are inspired by god', and know that jesus would care less that people knew his name or believed in him if they were seeking god in whatever scripture they chose.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... more good news ...

2006-12-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

did you hear ...
the state of florida and the state of california have stopped killing people ...
for the moment anyway ...

do you think that maybe we can understand that "thou shall not kill" includes state sanctioned killing of human beings ... i mean, state sanctioned killing is what hitler did only on a much grander scale, and that was evil.

i realize that there may be reason to "justify" or "excuse" the non-compliance with god's commandment, and so long as we as a collective can continue to do that, do you really think that christ can return ...

i mean, honestly, we are talking about a pretty straight forward commandment here. we have the means to incarcerate people for the rest of their lives so WHY do we have to kill them? if they cannot hurt anyone else, what good does it really do except reinforce the fact that there are times you can justify killing.

or, perhaps i'm just having a blond rose-colored glasses on, giggly moment ... i think its AWESOME that the state of florida and the state of california are going to comply with the 10 commandments ... even if its just for the moment ... perhaps it will stick.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... good news ...

2006-11-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

from the christian coalition ...

well, not exactly from the christian coalition, but from the person who chose NOT to lead them for reasons of his own ... poverty and the environment ... i like what he said about those issues:

The Rev. Joel Hunter, who was scheduled to take over the socially conservative group in January from Roberta Combs, said he had hoped to focus on issues such as poverty and the environment.

"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," said Hunter, a senior pastor at Northland Church in Longwood, Fla.

Source Article

so, the christian coalition goes on, trying to find someone to take up their hate and prejudice that they inherited from their founder, mr. pat robertson, so he can continue his work from the 60's when he stood in opposition to dr. king when robertson and other "christian" leaders stood against equality and stood shoulder to shoulder with the KKK asserting that being black was as subhuman as being gay is today.

kudos to you mr. hunter ... for your strength, leadership and courage to stand up for some of the things jesus would be taking on today. ... anyone else waking up yet?

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

. . . thanksgiving thoughts . . .

2006-11-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

when did thanksgiving become the holiday of glutony ... i don't know how many times over this holiday weekend in particular i heard questions or comments about how much an individual overate or 'gorged' themselves on the holiday feast. and then, those lines for the stores, the frenzy to consume even more ... i just wondered as i heard reports or saw the news ... is this reality?

i realize that for many people in america, that is what this holiday and christmas is all about really. what gets me is the participation of the christians in their frenzy for their holiday and their jesus to be celebrated ... and the lengths that they go to do that ... is just, well, honestly, its disgusting. and it sets a horrible example of the christian life and the true meaning of CHRIST-MAS ... or 'more christ'.

christ is commonly related to the person who was jesus christ, but 'christ' is not a person, christ is what dwells in us all. it is a concept of our connection to god. more christ ... less us ... less our pomp and circumstance ... less crystal cathederals and mega churches and more christ (or mas christo ... christ-mas). less our celebrating what we think 'christ' is, and more living it ...

we don't all have to participate in the exercise of the deadly sins to get where christ is the center of our lives ... well, maybe we do ... after all, if we go down the road enough times, the we will conquer the death those sins bring and renew our lives in alignment with the christ that lives in each of us.

i do not ... i had my plate of thanksgiving with my family and some new friends ... has it always been this bad, and i just really notice how bad it is this year? or are we getting worse?

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

. . . what next . . .

2006-11-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

now that the election is over we see a little bit about what we are about, and not in the most obvious of ways.

i see that we are still about discrimination and hatred . . . as evidenced by all those "christian" bans against same sex marriages. its interesting to me that "christians" are spending so much time on something that is not even one of the 10 commandments, yet on the issue of the war, which involves the breech of several of the ten commandments, they are mute or in support of it. very interesting indeed.

the vote means very little when the hearts of men and women are still filled with fear and hatred for their neighbors ... not willing to extend to them the same rights that they may want to exercise just because of their choice of spouses ... it used to be that my husband would have been hung or burned on a cross because he dared to marry a white woman. that wasn't so long ago that the same "christians" who drafted and enlisted the vote of their followers marched and protested against dr. king and those that fought for racial equality ... people like pat robertson, jerry falwell ... those "fore fathers" of the present day "evangelical christian" church in america fought against equality of the races. its not too surprising that the "christian" organizations they founded and the :evangelical christian" "leadership" that has followed in their footsteps are still opposing love and equality that transcends the physical characteristics and traits of human beings.

well, truth is bent toward justice. i no longer believe that we need to have relationships and marriage for the purposes of sustaining the species. relationships of deep intimacy between human beings, regardless of the sexual makeup of those relationships, can bring the unity and oneness that the bible describes that can bring us closer to god. do not be fooled by those who have created the bible to expound a philosophical belief in what is "right" and "wrong" by god's standards in a relationship such as marriage. jesus found no time to discuss the matter, he just told us to love one another. tell me, how can your truly love someone when you stand in judgment of them and deny them what you yourself claim as your "rights"?

i am married, my spouse happens to be a male. but i could have just as easily fallen in love with someone who was a female. so, too, could your daughter. standing on the righteousness of god means standing in solidarity with one another without attaching more import to another's log than your own ... because whatever YOU think, in god's eyes, you are equal. when you can look with equality in terms of standing and rights on the most basic levels of consideration, perhaps then, you can begin to understand how to love one another and god the way humans are intended to live.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... where is the love ...

2006-10-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

you know, i was looking at the yahoo! headlines and just about made myself depressed. mr. bush just cannot help himself and those in bed with him, well, they are just praying for a miracle that more people than not will continue to believe the web of delusion and lies that they have been propagating that is so far from the truth, its hard not to see it.

anyway, then i went to turn off the t.v. my daughter was watching and before i did, i flipped the channels and happened to catch the black eyed peas on SNL ... my hope was restored and my faith renewed ...

here is ... the black eyed peas ... "WHERE IS THE LOVE?" on YOUTUBE ... lyrics follow (READ THEM!) ... something for christians to consider before they vote this election.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

"Where is the Love" -- Black Eyes Peas

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Badness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
N**, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
‘Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
‘Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our own direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive til love is found

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
‘Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)

2006-10-22T00:37:00.000-07:00

poverty and death walk hand in hand
for some they walk together to the grave
and for others they walk together to freedom

poverty comes not from a lack of money
poverty comes not from a lack of work ethics
poverty comes not from a love for money

poverty comes from the self
the self that is unworthy to love
the self that is unworthy to trust
the self that is unworthy to receive

poverty comes from insecurity
the insecurity of poor planning
the insecurity of false faith
the insecurity of uninformed commitments

death comes to change that
to bring poverty to its end
whether its under a tombstone
or through an abundant life
is the choice of 'i am'

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

musical reference: Jill Scott "Golden"

Ok (ay) Oh (oh) Hey (ay-yay)
yeah.....
Oh..
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.....

I'm taking my freedom
pulling it off the shelf
puttin' it on my chain
wearing it 'round my neck
I'm taking my freedom
puttin' it in my car
wherever i choose to go
It will take me far

[Chorus]
I'm living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
(golden)
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
living my life like it's golden
(golden)

I'm taking my own freedom
puttin' it in my song
singing loud and strong
proving all day long
I'm takin' my freedom
puttin' it in my stroll
I'll be hop-steppin' y'all
lettin' the joy unfold

[Repeat Chorus]

I'm holdin' on to my freedom
'Can take it from me
I was born in-to it, it comes naturally
I'm strumming my own freedom
playing the god in me
representing his glory
hope he's proud of me...

[Repeat Chorus]

hope he's proud of me...

living my life like it's
golden, golden, golden,
golden, golden, golden,
living my life like it's
golden, golden, golden,
golden, golden, golden,
living my life like it's
golden, golden, golden.....

a word to the 'christian coalition'

2006-10-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

who actively supported and empowered our current legislative, executive and judicial branches of political offices ...

are you looking at the fruit that the trees that have been planted and watered in washington are bearing?

is that the fruit you thought it would bear?

how far away from your beliefs and values and the teachings of jesus have we moved?

anyway ... there's a new election coming up ...

remember what we were taught: "i give you NOT A SPIRIT OF FEAR, but one of LOVE and of SOUND MIND."

use your mind, rekindle the love ... if they use the words of fear and separation, you know that it not sourced from god, but a tool of those that would lead you further astray.

and vote !!!

listen, feel what is right, and vote for the light, forgiveness, compassion, justice, giving, kindness -- do not vote for fear, violence, oppression and separation.

and i would encourage you to KNOW your candidates ... don't just vote ... this link is a link of political people who are pedohiles or otherwise oppress women and children ... this list happens to be all republican, but we know better. the republicans do not have a corner on the pedophile markets -- men, particularly those in power, have issues with the abuse, sexual or otherwise, of others. women, in power too, have issues, although generally, not as askew as their male counterparts.

as "republican" and "christian" are two labels i ascribe to, this list is shameful to both. today, i am just a human child of god.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

changing titles and finding the true story ...

2006-10-05T00:51:00.000-07:00

kudos to yahoo! news which quicker than i could post this on blogger, changed the title of this story from "kin say gunman didn't molest them" to

"amish prepare to bury shooting victims"

AND(!) they moved the portion of the report that the girls who roberts claimed to have molested claim that it never happened ... from the top of the story to the bottom! thank you yahoo! news.

i was still going to share the story, that was just a bonus ... but the REAL news is the grace and love with which these american christians are choosing ...

quite a different response than what the 'christians' did at columbine ... where they removed two of the 15 crosses that had been placed to mark the tragedy, as the two children who perpetrated the crime should not be included in the memorialization of the tragedy. it is tragic when children die ... it is tragic when children kill.

i thank our neighbors in pennsylvania for showing us some light today.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

tell me ... how does it feel?

2006-07-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

how does it feel to support war?

even as a child watching the vietnam war on the macneil/lehrer hour with my dad, it was wrong. i didn't know the issues. i didn't know the why's. i didn't understand. but i knew it felt wrong. my dad once told me ... 'if there was another way. but there is not. we have to go to war.' well, my dad was wrong.

there is another way.

jesus taught that way.

so, the next time you are watching something on the television news, or reading a newspaper article, or talking with your cousin because her husband was just killed in iraq ... and you say 'i wish there was another way' ... you know its wrong too. you may not know what to do different or how it can be different, but you know it is wrong. well, have faith, there is another way.

jesus taught the other way.

we don't need to kill. we don't need to be violent. that we need to be these things that we are not ... that is a lie.

'i give you not a spirit of fear, but one of love and of sound mind ...' so, if you are afraid, which is why you think we need to be at war ... god did not give you that spirit, someone else did. if you cannot use your mind to find another way out, get with other people who can help you use your sound mind to figure alternatives to war and killing.

and if your pastor at your church with 10,000 people in their seats are telling you that war is godly, remember, that jesus said the path is narrow and few will travel it.

the bigger your church, the wider the path. i'm a narrow path girl, are you?

we can do it, i know we can.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

noble wife ring

2006-07-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

someone posted something and i clicked on their profile and went to their site ... their site was on this "noble wife ring" of christian sites ... i thought ... cool, more women writing about god, spirituality, jesus and the bible ...

i wonder if they will accept me?

before i signed in i did not read their 'requirements' which included a statement of belief that i HAD to agree with ... well, obviously since i don't EVER agree with EVERYTHING ... i didn't. although i don't think that what i disagreed with that important, we will see. so, 'they' are probably going to check out my blog and 'judge' it to see if it complies with their dogma or statement of faith. i came from a born again evangelical family, i was raised in the church, went to christian schools until i was in high school. i was, by conscious choice, baptised at the age of 12. i was divinely healed of a physical ailment through a word of faith at the age of 14. i have always been 'the student' in my family ...

i am a student of god. this is my statement of faith, until more truth is revealed to me.

i believe in the bible as being the INSPIRED word of god ... written by men and compiled by the council of nicea under the direction and exclusive authority of the emperor constantine ... therefore, i believe the INTENT behind the compilation of scriptures for the bible was of human design and not of god. i believe it to be a scripture that one could use exclusively to find the truth and god.

BUT because paul in his letter to the thessalonians ... which had to be written well before the bible was even an idea ... referenced that his scriptures (in fact said "all scriptures") too were inspired by god, i must at least read and consider other scriptures as being inspired by god and look for the truth that i find within them. because if god inspired the bible, god inspired other scriptures to help me to figure out this human journey. i know that the torah is not the first five books of the bible, and i study the jewish scriptures and other scriptures that existed before the bible, and even some that were written after the bible was published by the council of nicea and emperor constantine. i am a student of martin luther and his 95 thesis in opposition to the roman church and the bible and how it was designed and used as a tool to undermine the spiritual development of people.

i believe jesus is the son of god. i believe all humans, as we are the creation of god, are children of god. i believe jesus when he said that those who follow him will do greater things than him ... including being able to heal, raise the dead, ascend and transfigure from earth, even ressurect. i do not know if i believe in the virgin birth, but i believe such births do happen. AND, i do believe that salvation can be found in following jesus and his teachings. i do believe in the trinity of god, spirit and man.

i believe that most people will never forgive themselves of the things they have done, but god always does.

i believe that i live in this moment with god, and that this moment in time is not separated from eternity or god by any design of my own unless i make that choice. my choice is to be with god every moment of my life and for all of eternity. i believe that is what jesus taught.

i believe in the truth as revealed only to me through the life experiences and knowledge i have received and continue to receive. i have an intimate relationship with god and pray, meditate and read the bible or scripture every day. i do not listen to any other human being to tell me what the truth is more than i listen to the still voice of god within myself.

i do not believe you can excuse any disobedience of the 10 commandments and claim to follow the ways of jesus christ. i understand that 'sabbath' does not mean 'sunday' or even a day of rest, but is a complete system of economics that is very well advanced to any current economic system on the planet and can be the platform for peaceful co-existence on planet earth. i follow the greatest commandment of jesus with all my being ... that i love god; and i follow his similar commandment of 'loving my neighbor as myself.' which means, i must learn to love myself more each day as i grow in love for me and god, my actions will be reflective of that love.

i believe there are other things in the 'statement of faith' that i still do not know yet, but my journey is to discover the truth for myself.

and, i am an astrologer ... which usually loses most christians (at least modern christians who do not know their history) ... but like the wise men of the east, i was given a love for the nighttime heavens and the puzzle of one of god's most incredible masterpieces and study the kabbalah and astrology as the ancient people of both the jewish faith and early christians. i believe it is an expression of gods love, beauty and mystery.

so, by your definition, am i a "noble wife" ... i know i am by any other definition a noble wife.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

a wanna be TBN partner

2006-07-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

'i want to be a member, take PAT off the air'

... a letter of mine to jan and paul crouch, founders of not just the largest "christian" television network in the world, but the largest television network in the world, period ... and while there is one show i will watch on TBN, "Davey & Goliath" ... that animated childrens series created in the 60s or 70s ... there's not too much else i can stomach for more than 10 minutes. BUT, every now and then, i find myself channel surfing and i catch glimmers of love and hope on that station ... this is my attempt to encourage that which is good that i see on the station and silence pat robertson all at the same time.

and, yes it was really, really difficult to write this letter without lying ... and the 'i want to become a member' was the hardest sentence to leave in and have it be the truth. then i realized this ... IF TBN started sharing a message of love and peace and non-violence, i would love to be a member of that! so, i found truth in that statement.

and, i really will become a member if they get rid of pat!

Paul and Jan Crouch, Founders
Trinity Christian City International
3150 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Dear Paul and Jan:

I am a Christian from the born again evangelical tradition. My parents have supported TBN as long as I can remember. I want to support Christian broadcasting and I believe that the teachings and message of Jesus are needed now more than ever on our planet. There are many shows on your station I appreciate but there none that I can let my daughter watch. I so appreciate the growing diversity of your presentation of the Christian faiths and beliefs, and would like to encourage that more. I would like to become a member.

But I cannot.

Pat Robertson and The 700 Club are aired on your network Monday through Friday. I cannot support a "Christian" station who includes a daily dose of teaching that are in opposition to Jesus' simple commandment of loving one another.

On his show, Mr. Robertson has called for preemptive wars against nations and the murder through assignation of the leader of another neighboring nation. I think, from the programming I do see on TBN, you will agree with me that this leadership is in opposite of the teachings of Jesus and the ten commandments given by God.

I urge you to remove The 700 Club from your programming. I have not received a response to my several emails to TBN on this subject. I would like to become a member but as a steward of the money God has entrusted to me, I cannot do so with programming that is contrary to God's explicit commandments.

Thank you. I look forward to becoming a member of the largest, truly Christian, network on planet earth.

God bless,

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

what would jesus do?

2006-07-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

in response to the israeli attack on palestine and lebanon?

would he call them terrorist?

would he stand against them?

likely he would.

israel and the united states are terrorist ...

they sow the seeds of terror and fear and hate and death with every word coming from the "leaders" ... and our gardeners are the young men and women on the ground shooting the guns, launching the grenades, dropping the bombs on the homes, businesses and governmental buildings of the people of sovereign nations. the water is the silent people of god just watching it happen without doing anything to stop it.

jesus ... jesus would be fasting in front of the capitol building in washington d.c. to end the war of terror we are perpetrating on the world.

we are a nation very lost in the web of the lies of the deceiver.

you cannot envision, organize, fund a military and train human beings on how to use weapons with the only purpose being to kill and murder people and be 'righteous' ... you just cannot.

if you do not feel that ... you are lost too.

if you do feel it ... you better start doing what jesus would do, and DO SOMETHING.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

spreading the good news

2006-07-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

on a day when israel builds and builds towards war and the killing and terror of more people, and as we escalate the 'strong arm' of force against iran and their sovereignty to do what other nations can freely do without recourse or reprimand ... there is good news ... from, of all things, our medical community ....

US Anesthesiologists Asked Not to Help Execute Death Sentences
" In a letter addressed to some 37,000 members, association president Orin Guidry recalled the American Medical Association's code of ethics, which says: 'A physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution.'"

if you support life in any way and are encouraged as i am by this news, send an email to support the American Society of Anesthesiologist and send president Orin Guidry an email to support their announcement affirming the life of all of us. as jesus said, 'what you do to the least of these, you do to me.' when we murder, via capital punishment, any one person, we do it to all of us.

support and share the good news wherever you find it!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

prayer & fasting

2006-06-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

something i'm involved with

because prayer and fasting is part of my tradition. working with the principles of the prince of peace, i am participating in this fast for:

1. the immediate lay down of all the weapons of war in the hands or under the control of my countrymen all around the world;

2. the return of all troops in foreign lands engaged in military operations;

3. a complete dismantling of our entire arsenal and weapons of war;

4. the reorganization of the department of defense to be under the jurisdiction of a department of peace;

5. the impeachment and removal from office of president george w. bush and vice president richard cheney; and

6. criminal prosecution of messrs. bush, cheney and rumsfeld for acts of war and treason against the people of the united states of America.

i pray for these things or that which is better in the name of god, amen.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... because if killing is ok for any reason ...

2006-06-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

and you are trained how to kill
and you are programmed that the lives of others are not as valuable as your's
and when you are told that killing the enemy is why we are here

it messes with your mind and spirit. and this is what happens to young minds and spirits under misguided, evil leadership ...

U.S. troops accused of Killing Iraq Family

Five U.S. Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three members of her family in Iraq, a U.S. military official said Friday."

we are doing this. each one of us here in the countries that are asserting this war on terrorism. this is our responsibility. we have changed the minds, hearts and spirits of men to become evil themselves.

we are responsible, are you ready to face your responsibility in all this?

write to your congressperson, write to your senators ... this 4th of July, join the "BRING OUR TROOPS HOME FAST" ...

this is a spiritual fast in a long tradition of fasting and praying to bring this war to an end.

this doesn't need to happen to another family ... on either side of the line. remember, god has no lines. love knows no enemies.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

born again

2006-06-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

born again
each morning i breathe life to my mind
looking to see the reflection of god
searching to find it in the eyes in the mirror
always pouring out of the eyes of "the boo"
ever alive and curious in the eyes of siobahn.

born again
each breathe renewing the life
i am to honor god with
not by compromising for god
but by infusing every thought and moment with love
as only i can bring to the moment
god living in me as only i can be.

born again
each door i open
another glimpse into the vastness of god
that resides in me
gleaning a view of all that is
and all that's not just waiting to be
then there's the dark, the stuff i hide
waiting to be loved just like god.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... compare & contrast ... an exercise

2006-06-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

a nation with 'Christian' leadership.

Top Court Upholds Kansas Death Penalty Law

a nation with 'christian' leadership.

"Philippines Abolishes the Death Penalty"

are you a "Christian" or a "christian"?

something to think about ...

"never return evil with evil, but return evil with love." jesus said that.

"thou shall not kill." god gave that law to moses.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... help in the struggle ...

2006-06-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

on the yahoo! newsheadline ...

"Philippines abolishes the death penalty"

lifting my hope and faith in this thing we call life.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

the struggle

2006-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

as you can probably glean from this and my many other blogs, i would like to think of myself as a non-violent person -- or, more accurately, a violent person trying very hard to be non-violent. following the teachings of jesus, spurned on by the examples of dr. king, nelson mandela, mother theresa, ghandi and others, i am active in my struggle for conflict resolution in a non-violent way.

i was sincerely depressed when i posted a response to a blog entry blasting the NRA for opposing the UN's call for the halt or 'regulation' of illegal weapons. i couldn't even argue myself out of my position opposing the UNs proposal. even refreshing the memory banks of ghandi and the non-violent struggle for freedom he led, i just couldn't support a global crackdown on the manufacture of 'illegal' weapons.

i suppose my faith is gone this morning. i have no trust in the governments of the world, and i do realize that my trust is not to be in governments but in god; so, i suppose, my trust in god is also gone this morning; so, too is my trust in myself. or perhaps its just a clear picture of where we are in today's reality ... i haven't decided.

reminds me of the seal song, "lost my faith" ... i suppose my whole point was that the tools of violence do not make us violent ... eliminating "illegal" weapons would only cover-up the fact that we are still just as violent as ever as if we continue to justify the manufacture of 'legal' weapons. yeah, its one of these days.

LOST MY FAITH
We both know
That the harder we try
Can't understand it
We're so caught up in the reasons why
Station to station
And we couldn't even say their names
I realized it
Was just a game
I had lost my faith
Long ago
I had lost my faith
Long ago

I can see
That if I stay close to your side
All of my pressures now
I know they will subside
If ever you need me
All you gotta do is fall
I hear you sayin'
That you got it all
I had lost my faith
Long ago
I had lost my faith
Long ago

A stranger so it seems
I lie here for you touch
But what I'd like to know
Is why do I want you so much
You say that's all the same
All through my life
I have
Waited for you
And
Have you waited too
are you feeling what I'm feeling
Ohhhh.... I
I had lost my faith
Long ago
I had lost my faith long ago
I had lost my faith
Long ago
I had lost my faith
Long ago
I lost my faith
I lost my faith
I lost my faith
Ohh love

because i love people who love each other

2006-06-22T00:37:00.000-07:00

and am not afraid to let them know its ok to be who they are and love one another and be committed to one another and that is all that REALLY matters to this child of god.

stop the hate, judgment and discrimination and let love rule!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... surrender ... never!

2006-06-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Frist: Surrender in Iraq 'not a solution'
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist declared Tuesday that "surrendering is not a solution" in Iraq as Democrats embraced a proposal to start U.S. troop withdrawals this year, setting up an election-year debate on the war in the GOP-controlled Senate. 'We cannot retreat. We cannot surrender. We cannot go wobbly. The price is far too high,' said Frist, R-Tenn.

when i read this headline, the first thing that came to my mind was "i surrender all." that old hymn that we sung at least once a month, and while it is 'all to jesus i surrender', i wonder why "Christians," of which mr. frist claims to be a card carrying member, do not understand that it wasn't to jesus we were to surrender but to god we were to surrender. we were to surrender to things like the 10 commandments ... even though we cannot see how it will work out or how scared we are or how much we worry about another terrorist attack, we must not return in kind ... we must not become and do to others what they do to us. we must not kill or murder -- which is the only thing tanks, morter shells, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons and bombs do. weapons and violence are the largest export of our nation.

we must trust that if i, my family, and us as a christian community decide "yes, i will surrender to the commandments of my lord", and we lay down our arms, and retreat to find ways to return the evil we see with love ... we will be just fine. protected and provided for by a god who is more than sufficient to care for us. i was taught that it was obedience to out of the love for god that is what i am here to do.

i guess that's why i am not a "Christian" and i am just a christian.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

the death habit

2006-06-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

today must be one of those days when you go from studying a scripture to random surf blogging in divine order .... matthew 7 leads me to my previous post ... then to follow-up on several conversations earlier this week on death the teachings of Leonard Orr and others, i randomly surf on to this blog Reincarnation & Christianity ... so ... that's how life is working today for me ...

good to see so much light in christianity these days ...

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... a ray of hope ... from canada

2006-06-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to introduce you to a blog that is, well, its refreshingly christian.

and its the blog of a pastor ...

the first pastor's blog i have found (and i've read A LOT of them) that actually seems to be TRYING to do what i am always criticizing the christian church for failing to do ...

live their words ...
follow their teachings ...
be the change they want to see ...

so, new link to the right ... "Soul Journey" by pastor Barry Clark ...

i would actually visit his church ... perhaps i will the next time i am in detroit, make a run across the border.

thank you for being a ray of hope for this blog to share!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

gay marriage is a christian issue

2006-06-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

yes, mr. super christian is rallying the 'onward christian soldiers' to pass a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

his reason is sound, that the institution of marriage is between a man and woman. and, to have it be anything else would constitute a breach of god's divine plan.

hmmmmmmmm. sounds good to me. NOT.

quite simply, i don't think god created the institution of marriage nor did god ever think we would attach so much importance to such a man-made institution that is newer than ... well, its newer than the wheel.

while i agree that intimate relationships do, given the human exercise of choice in a world based on duality, provide an opportunity for perhaps the greatest growth of the individual, hence the collective. i do not think such a relationship must be one within 'matrimony' or between a man and a woman.

i know too many marriages that should not be and just as many committed or married gay couples that give me hope and inspiration in my own. personally, i get overwhelmed with joy and happiness when i see a gay couple who have either conceived or adopted their own children. for them to be able to teach such little ones how to be strong human beings that are self-accepting despite some of the greatest prejudice on the planet, well, its just inspiring to me.

i don't question whether gays should be allowed to get married, i question whether marriage is even something god would even condone. jesus didn't marry. hmmmmmmmm ......

anyone who wants to try to live in a committed relationship with another human being creates a better community for all of us. if people love each other, i think god is happy that they are together loving one another. and if they are loving each other and are happy, they are loving the other people around them. they are loving their communities and their planet ... and, to be honest, i am happy they are ... because if they are busy loving one another, they are busy loving themselves and people who love themselves tend not to use violence to resolve conflicts.

i like that ... the way to peace ... in a nut shell.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

pat robertson is NOT a christian

2006-05-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

not even the most broad definition of "christian" can describe pat.

bit of history ... back in the mid-90's i was channel surfing and ended up on the 700 club ... something my parents watched all the time ... and still do, i suspect they are life-time members of the 700 club. well, i saw this report given by him on the 700 club, he was calling for a pre-emptive strike on north korea. he claimed that we had "intelligence" and showed an aerial photo of something claiming to be a "nuclear bomb plant" ... anyway, i was so mortified that i was hearing this from a "christian leader" that i had to write a letter and copy it to my parents. well, that was my first and last letter to pat robertson, founder of the 700 club and "christian" broadcast network. but, every now and then, i check in on pat and the 700 club, and cbn ... now i do it through their web site, because i cannot watch anything produced by that organization without getting really, really, really angry and/or depressed.

soooooooo .... on pat's blog this week ... his advice on "how to handle a bully" ...

"Q: My ten-year-old son saw a bully harassing a girl in his class. He was so upset that he came up behind the bully and tripped him. The principal called me and said even though my son did a brave thing, he still had to be suspended. I’ve taught my son to stick up for other people. Do you think my son did the right thing in helping the girl, and what’s the best way to handle a bully?

A: Your son did the right thing. The principal is wrong. I don’t want to encourage kids to beat up on each other, but in that one, let that bully know what it feels like to have somebody going after him. I know that sounds hard, but it’s true. We’re supposed to lift the yoke of oppression. Read Isaiah 58. That’s the yoke of oppression. This poor little girl was being oppressed by a bully, and your son did the right thing."

INTERESTING ... pat invokes a passage from the old testament to deal with the issues of bullies saying, 'yeah, do what the bully does back to him,' rather than what jesus taught in matthew 5:38-39, which is "stand up to the bully eye-to-eye and say, 'you want to hit me ... here, go ahead.'" and then, turn the other cheek to him so that you give him the cheek that resists him and his evil ways. i read an article in the early 90's and thanks to the internet, you can read it too ... it was in yes! magazine.

THIS IS WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS TO ME ... "can love save the world" by walter wink. The following is a passage from the article, and i encourage anyone who agrees with pat to read this entire article as linked above ... but this should have been, in my opinion, a "christian leaders" response to such a question ....

"Nevertheless, I agree with Mr. Kelly that pacifism must go. It is endlessly confused with passivity. In the nations in which Christianity has predominated, Jesus’ teaching on nonviolence has been perverted into injunctions to passive nonresistance, which, as we shall see, is the very opposite of active nonviolence. Jesus had said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your outer garment, give your undergarment as well; and if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, go two” (Matthew 5:38-41). As it stands, this saying seems to counsel supine surrender. If you are a woman and you are struck by your spouse on one cheek, turn the other; let him pulverize you. If you are sued for a piece of clothing, give all your clothes voluntarily, as an act of pious renunciation. And if a Roman soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, be a chump: carry it two. And the crowning blow: don’t resist evil at all.

For centuries, readers of this advice have instinctively known something was wrong with this picture. Jesus always resisted evil. Why would he tell us to behave in ways he himself refused? And that’s where the trouble starts. The Greek word translated as “resist” (antistenai), is literally “to stand (stenai) against (anti).” The term is taken from warfare. When two armies collide, they were said to “stand against” each other. The correct translation is given in the new Scholars Bible: “Don’t react violently against the one who is evil.” The meaning is clear: don’t react in kind, don’t mirror your enemy, don’t turn into the very thing you hate. Jesus is not telling us not to resist evil, but only not to resist it violently."

so, you can choose too ... what does it mean to you to be a christian ... can you be a violent person or support a violent policy and still claim you are following jesus and are a 'christian' ... or is there a new definition of christian that does not include the teachings of jesus? and if you are a christian based on that new definition, your faith is based on an idol.

i propose that TBN, trinity broadcast network -- the world's largest christian network -- and a network i can watch and sometimes actually be uplifted and encouraged ... remove pat robertson and the 700 club from the programming immediately. if you agree, give them your thoughts ... here ...

This is what I wrote to them ...

"PLEASE, remove The 700 Club from your programming. That show misleads people on what Christianity is and its values include war, violence and deception. Pat Robertson is not a "Christian" leader we should be listening too. Thank you."

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... the missing cross

2006-05-31T20:33:00.000-07:00

have you noticed the remarkable absense of the cross or crucifix in most of these 'christian' churches ...

i mean ... have you noticed, say lakewood church in texas ... used to be john osteen's church, now ran by his son joel ... not a cross in sight, but the flags of all the nation-states they choose to recognize are there.

or creflo dollar, joyce meyers, kenny copeland or even on cbn.com ... do you see a single cross ... not that i care for the imagery as i'm more into the resurrection aspect of christianity, but the cross is the pre-cursor to the resurrection ...

i guess no one wants to be reminded that if you are following jesus, it means you are willing to sacrifice everything ... even that hummer in the parking lot or the latte on sunday mornings ...

the 'christian' church sure seems to be a lot about 'personal power', 'investing for financial success, 'health and fitness' ... that's cbn.com, and have you listened to most televanglist these days ... selling tony robbin's personal power using some verses that morph the teachings of jesus into this 'you can have it all ... you deserve it all ... you need to take it all' psycho-babble. no spirituality ... well, yes, they use spiritual principles but without spiritual intent, you have classic idolotry. i mean, do the people do it because they want to give their new H3 to serve the lord ... really. than, why do we have so many amazing vehicles locked up behind gates with security officers and homeless people sleeping on their doorsteps when "worship" is not in session?

i love that on cbn.com, they talk about going to the gathering of mormons to "outreach" and teach other religions about christianity because ... "th[e] religions [is] based on idolotry."

"We are not going to rip into all these religions. We are going to educate Christians on what they are about, because all of these religions have their roots in idolatry," [Ray] Comfort[, an evangelist and author of more than 40 books] said. "I mean they have a wrong concept of God and (the followers) all think they can make their own way to heaven."

don't they remember what jesus said to peter at the end of the book of john when jesus asked if he loved him, and of course, peter (the church) could only muster a "yeah, yeah, i love you already ... but what about that guy," the christian church claims love and adoration and worship of jesus, but in truth all they can muster is a shallow bid at love while they worry about what everyone else is or isn't doing ... not too strange that the church which was built on peter acts this way ...

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

check out my new my space group .... linked over there >>>>>>>>>>>>>

... the night brings hope via anton ...

2006-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

a big thanks to anton (deliberate industries link to the right ... yeah, that one over there) >>>>

for the introduction to derek webb ... go to his web site if you have a spiritual bone in your body that happens to be an american one as well ... do it for the veterans on memorial day!

here's the lyrics to one of his songs ... you probably can surmise why i am thankful this evening for a nice young man living in dallas, texas ...

A New Law

(vs. 1)
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music

don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law

(pre-chorus)
i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

(chorus)
i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

(vs. 2)
don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice

don’t teach me about loving my enemies

don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law

(pre-chorus/chorus)
(bridge)
what’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
do not be afraid
do not be afraid

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

the pope in auschwitz

2006-05-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

well, it wasn't on yahoo! headline news and i wouldn't have found it except for this catholic mom in hawaii's blog i happened to surf onto this evening ...

the pontiff asked why god was silent ... is this guy depressing or what. here's an amazing opportunity to look at state-sanctioned terrorism and he asked why god was silent ...

god was anything but silent ...

god gave us choice ... then god gave us 10 commandments ... then came jesus ... i don't think god was silent at all on the issue.

humans know what is right and what is wrong ... we make the choice ...

the question is not why god was silent, but why we did not listen ...

just as we do not listen today ...

jesus is just an idol to have ...

not the way to follow ...

but i do agree with the pontiff ... in this prayer (as amended) ...

"Let us cry out to God," he added, "that [God] may draw men and women to [change] and help them to see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more violence -- a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the loser."

to those who died for reasons other than this president sent you to die ... i honor you ... for those who lost a part of their life or died to protect the principles of this nation, i thank you. for those in service now, i fight for you to return quickly and safely with my voice ...

my god is not silent ...

nor am i ...

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

this is the complete article .... from zenit, the catholic news agency.

"In a Place Like This, Words Fail"

KRAKOW, Poland, MAY 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI visited the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp today, a stop he personally wished to include in his pilgrimage in Poland.

"To speak in this place of horror, in this place where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man, is almost impossible -- and it is particularly difficult and troubling for a Christian, for a Pope from Germany," the Holy Father said today as he began his address.

"In a place like this, words fail," he said. "In the end, there can only be a dread silence -- a silence which is itself a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?"

"I come here today as a son of the German people," Benedict XVI said. "For this very reason, I can and must echo [John Paul II's] words: I could not fail to come here. I had to come.

"It is a duty before the truth and the just due of all who suffered here, a duty before God, for me to come here as the successor of Pope John Paul II and as a son of the German people -- a son of that people over which a ring of criminals rose to power by false promises of future greatness and the recovery of the nation's honor, prominence and prosperity, but also through terror and intimidation, with the result that our people was used and abused as an instrument of their thirst for destruction and power."

"Yes, I could not fail to come here," the Holy Father exclaimed.

Personal preference

Like those who were deported to the camp years ago, he was able to read the words over the gate, written in his native German, "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work liberates).

Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls confirmed on Saturday that it was a visit that Benedict XVI personally included on his agenda for his time in Poland.

After visiting the places of horror in silence, praying for a long while and speaking to survivors of the wartime extermination camp, the Holy Father delivered his address with a somewhat hoarse voice.

"Where was God in those days? Why was he silent?" the Pontiff asked.

"We cannot peer into God's mysterious plan -- we see only piecemeal, and we would be wrong to set ourselves up as judges of God and history," he noted.

"And our cry to God must also be a cry that pierces our very heart, a cry that awakens within us God's hidden presence -- so that his power, the power he has planted in our hearts, will not be buried or choked within us by the mire of selfishness, pusillanimity, indifference or opportunism," Benedict XVI warned.

Forces of darkness

"Let us cry out to God, with all our hearts, at the present hour, when new misfortunes befall us, when all the forces of darkness seem to issue anew from human hearts: whether it is the abuse of God's name as a means of justifying senseless violence against innocent persons, or the cynicism which refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules faith in him," the Pope continued.

"Let us cry out to God," he added, "that he may draw men and women to conversion and help them to see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more violence -- a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the loser."

After leaving the concentration camp, the Holy Father went by car to the Krakow/Balice airport, where the farewell ceremony took place, attended by Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

ZE06052817

Pry Me Off Dead Center

2006-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

a prayer/poem that reminds me everyday how jesus taught us to live ...

Pry Me Off Dead Center

O persistent God,
deliver me from assuming your mercy is gentle.
Pressure me that I may grow more human,
not through the lessening of my struggles,
but through an expansion of them
that will undamn me
and unbury my gifts
Deepen my hurt
until I learn to share it
and myself
openly,
and my needs honestly.
Sharpen my fears
until I name them
and release the power I have locked in them
and they in me.
Accentuate my confusion
until I shed those grandiose expectations
that divert me from the small, glad gifts
of the now and the here and the me.
Expose my shame where it shivers,
crouched behind the curtains of propriety,
until I can laugh at last
through my common frailties and failures,
laugh my way toward becoming whole.
Deliver me
from just going through the motions
and wasting everything I have
which is today,
a chance
a choice
my creativity,
your call.
O, persistent God,
let how much it all matters
pry me off dead center
so if I am moved inside
to tears
or sighs
or screams
or smiles
or dreams,
they will be real
and I will be in touch with whom I am
and who you are
and who my sisters and brothers are.

--author unknown, but likely Rev. Robert ("Bob") Miller who gave me this poem

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... a mother acting ...

2006-05-16T00:33:00.000-07:00

well, today's Yahoo! headlines just made me do it ....

Bush to Send Up to 6,000 Troops to Border

a new blog ... i titled it "i am a free american".

it is my version of the declaration of indendence ... because it is time to free myself from the power mr. bush can exercise over me.

because, in word and in action, I LOVE MY NEIGHBOR as jesus taught me to.

i DO NOT put an armed guard on my property line ...

this is not political, this is spiritual.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

happy mother's day ...

2006-05-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

now act like it ...

act like every child is your's, because they are ...

act like every person is a child, because they are ...

act like every one is an orphan, because they are ...

act like you are a mother, because you are ...

act like the earth, because you are ...

act like a woman, because you are ...

actions speak louder than words.

happy mother's day ...

now live it ...

everyday!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

control issues ...

2006-05-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

the christian church is full of them.

bear in mind that MOST CHURCH LEADERS have not studied what jesus studied before he started teaching. if they have been through a seminary or other formalized training, they study very limited interpretations of what other people claim he taught; and most only learn a doctrine of belief and its history only.

i imagine, because i post with my name 'business voodoo' most of my comments are not allowed on most 'christian' blogs, etc. in fact, i wonder every time i bother to interact with them, if they don't just dismiss me immediately because of my name, 'business voodoo' ... even though i sign each comment with my real name, 'elaine.' i've been monitoring several blogs of 'pastors' of 'churches' just to see what is going on in america's churches.

my biggest question is ... what are they afraid of ... sometimes i totally agree with them, sometimes i don't.

why is a different opinion such a problem.

control ... is what they want. they want you to believe them only, because if you are dependent on them to think for you, you will pay them at least 10% of your money. an important thing these days.

and the bigger picture: if we can embrace our differences, well, perhaps we can actually love our neighbor -- we can have community wherever we go and no longer need churches to create a 'community' for us.

if we can embrace our differences, well, then, we can't bomb our neighbor, can we? and then, well, our entire economy collapses.

so, my different opinion from the 'christian churches' and their pastor's blogs is usually left out ...
so, in the future, i've decided to POINT OUT THOSE WHO ARE AFRAID TO HEAR DIFFERENT OPINIONS ...

my advice ... don't go to a church where you have to adjust to THEIR WAY OF THINKING OR UNDERSTANDING 'THE TRUTH' ...

jesus said "I AM" is the truth ... what is "I AM" ? "I AM" is a old concept taken from ancient scriptures ... predating jewish traditions and the pharohs -- the source of most of jesus' teaching. "I AM" is the source within each human being that is connected to god. only you can bring the "I AM" into this world in your unique and individualized way -- that was god's plan. a world full of individuals fully embodying their "I AM" ... collectively creating the truth.

a church should welcome everyone and love everyone the same. if they are not doing that, jesus is just an idol to them. stay away from it. in fact, run away and don't look back!

peace & harmony,
elaine
"freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

EXTRA, EXTRA ... read all about it ...

2006-05-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

"Congress Demands Phone Records Answers"

taken from Yahoo! News off the AP wire 48 minutes ago .... click HERE to read the entire article.

'Facing intense criticism from Congress, President Bush did not confirm the work of the National Security Agency but sought to assure Americans that their privacy is being "fiercely protected." "We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans," Bush said.'

* * * * * * * *

'fiercely protecting little old me ... my privacy?' from what? what are we sooooooo afraid of? 'i give you not a spirit of fear, but one of love ... and a sound mind' to boot. i do not believe when mr. bush says 'we are not ...' anything.

and, just exactly what is 'mining' and 'trolling'? and if you are not doing it, why are you not like me and not know the jargon of people who do that for a living?

am i really worried about another terrorist attack? no, i'm not.

why not? you ask ...

because i know if one is coming, its coming. if its not, its not. worry changes nothing, it only causes cancer.

as for terrorist attacks ... i think we experience them every single day of our life ... they are on our local news, they are in our movie theaters, they are on the streets in the most urban, over populated cities as well as the smallest farm town in america. we do not need someone to come from another country to terrorize us, we do a good job of doing it to each other.

so, in fact, we are already reaping what we are sowing.

in fact, i believe terror and violence, next to our entertainment industry, is our biggest export.

but ... what can i do about it? i'm teaching myself and my child how to receive the terror, the violence, the hate and transform it into love and kindness. i keep her, for the moment, isolated from anyone claiming to follow jesus who thinks this war thing is a 'righteous' thing. it is murder ... that's all bombs and guns are created for ... killing other human beings and god's creation.

someone has to stop the cycle of terror and violence, why not me ... isn't that what jesus taught ... that i was to be the sacrifice? oh, such a big sacrifice walking the path of peace and love ...... is it really such a challenge? somedays are easier than others.

message to mr. bush: there once was a man named saul ... saul used to murder human beings too. then something changed ... it can happen to you and me too.

time for some new choices not based on deception.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape'

jews for jesus

2006-05-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

wow ... met one of those tonight ...
don't ever have to do that again.

at the monthly street art festival, my daughter and i sitting on a curb eating a hotdog ... we saw them walking around ... they had these t-shirts on "JEWS FOR JESUS." me, i was armed with my "Who Would Jesus Bomb Button", as always.

so we were chilling and eating and mostly people were ignoring us, but i caught this woman's eye so she walked over to us to hand us a pamphlet ...

having my hands full of hotdogs, i just looked at her and asked her what it was about ...

'jesus can save your life ...' oh really, i thought. i asked her, 'so, how do you feel about the israeli bombing last night?'

'what bombing?' she asked.

'israel bombed palestine last night.' i replied.

'palestine is not a country.' was her answer.

'thank you,' i said, 'i don't need that.'

'god loves you,' she said over her shoulder as she walked away, 'jesus died for you.'

i just replied, 'god loves everyone and jesus died for himself.' but i must admit that i was PISSED OFF at her and my remark was more catty than informative, and definitely not filled with the love, peace or harmony i wished to exhibit in this world. BUT JUST SOMETIMES IT JUST MAKES ME SO ANGRY HOW THEY RESPOND WITH THESE 'STOCK ANSWERS' ... not even knowing what they are saying or what they mean ... as if the people who died from the bombing cared whether or not we recognized the validity of their nation-state ....

i sat perplexed at that for a moment and the let it go off into the ether as the dj shifted the music and lifted the beat and the harmony to a different key, i finished my hot dog, and said a silent prayer for those who died and those who killed ... then i went and danced with my little one down the street in the opposite direction.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

THIS is what jesus would do ...

2006-05-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

if you haven't seen it yet ...

see the entire video at crooks and liars.

this man is not only extremely talented, but courageous

stephen colbert ... a voice for this 'american'

... reminded me of the story of when jesus spoke up for the prostitute they wanted to stone ...

speaking obvious truth to those who twist it for their own agendas ...

i am very proud of him.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to create a new reality!'

the rooster

2006-05-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

perhaps the rooster will soon sound the coming of the day
the day when the denial will be gone
the day when the church decides to follow
the day when the church decide to lead
the day when the church choose to be
the love that comes from Me

perhaps the rooster will soon sound the dawn
when the rock will be washed away
gone with all the insecurities of the man
leaving only My love written in the sand
the dawn when the bride can see
the truth the stone once entombed

perhaps the rooster will soon sound the morning
after the betrayal of the one we love
remembering once more I gave you the power
to love like never before
to forgive like no one has ever seen
to endure the suffering of lifetimes

perhaps the rooster has already spoken
and you are still asleep
waiting for someone to save you
from the darkness that you keep
from the separation that you build
from the fear of what I see

perhaps the rooster has already spoken
and your shame has been forgiven
the mistake has been forgotten
and now, your choice to repent begins
the path of love and acceptance of all
to rebirth a life
that does not deny My way
always means surrender

perhaps the rooster has already spoken
and the night returns
and the battle is at hand
when they ask again, and again, and again
can you give a different answer
that does not deny the way, the truth and the life
never means war

perhaps the rooster has gone away
its done its job and we missed the day
lost in your need to be secure
you lost the Lord you claim to love
your minds may never receive
the truth I shared
through all the excuses and designs of man

perhaps the rooster has gone home
to wait for another people, another day
for your love cannot yet be seen
in the darkness of hate
your decisions create
behind the eyes of other fearful men

perhaps the rooster is dead
and a new one is to come
for a people in the wilderness
those reborn without a book to follow
just living in a land of promise
that love is the way, the truth and the life
is no longer denied
this is the home where I will return

peace & harmony,
elaine
04/07/05 6:07 a.m./6:38 a.m.

the demons of inheritance

2006-04-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

those umbilical demons we share with our source
masks our identity and steers our course.

but, we were free to come in and choose what we want.

and, we made our choice to receive those 'demonic' gifts:

the fire in our bellies
the purpose in our walk
the beat of our drum.

to divorce from the broken patterns of ancestral drums,
is a lesson in the self and the completed life.

the fearful fathers beat their chaotic lines,
as the mothers' silence amplify their war drum's call.

the drum of the child must lift its voice, louder and louder until it breaks free to soar leaving behind the nonsensical ones.

living with their demons is a choice,
holding them close and giving them voice,
or letting them go as your's rejoice.

leaving behind the mystery and the lie that took you by the hand
and said 'you can fly, but i can't,' as their love is imprisoned by the demon 'i can't.'

i now face the angel of my womb as she echos the mantra of the demons of our inheritance as she simply asks 'why not?'

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'
26.8.05 15:19 p.m. pst
28.8.05 4:31 a.m. pst

... money, the root of ...

2006-04-25T11:21:00.001-07:00

- photo by www.norinevphotography.com, art :K:•: and treatment :K::: by elaine

evil? really. i thought the source was love.

if love is the seed, how can the root that grows from it be evil?

money is a tool of choice.

.... a circle for my dad ....
its called 'war'
first it was white ....
then it was fire engine red...with the words "fear," "kill" and "covet" ... then i affixed The Flag.

siobahn found The Flag ... she found it on the ground the day after a 'send your son to die for us / send my son to die for us' rally in echo park, california ... because a lot of mothers' sons and daughters were trapped by their integrity to an ideal that had long since deceived and destroyed, along side the others who were there for their various reasons or, perhaps, excuses.

when the president said 'we fight this war to protect the american way of life', i tried to burn The Flag. The Flag melted instead ... the-petroleum-fabric-made-in-china flag just could not be burned. but then again, nor can ... 'me here on planet earth, being one of the people of the united states of america, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, etc.,' even when it is stolen from those who honored it most and gave their lives for that freedom.

then chris' sister died and i painted it Carbon Black ... "Carbon Black" is the golden color. ashes is what an innocent life can be reduced to under the weight of greed.

it was Carbon Black for a long time.

one day, for no particular reason i can recall (except the general relation of that particular shade of green and it was spring time) . . . well, i took the green, the color of the south, renewal, but mostly because it is the color of money, and wrote the words 'love', 'give' and 'grace' . . . which green then flowed from the e's in all the words .... many reasons why, but mostly because it is the soul vibration ('e' vibrates to 5 representing pyramidal power, freedom, change, dimensional movements) of the word 'me'; and, more personally, i have it at the beginning and the end of my name, 'elaine'.

the three primary colors and their palette complete the thought with all their references and symbolism. one of my earlier works where imperfections are not noticeable when you are staring at it too closely .....

so, in a nutshell, the story of the evolution of this piece ... 'money a tool of the root' is what i call this treatment of this piece of art originally entitled 'fear•love : kill • grace : covet • give :K:•:'.

music: 'limited expression' by mark london sims ... in particular, track 5, 'money first' and track 9, 'music should change instanteously'

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

... are you listening ?

2006-04-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

... which side were you on?

you remember the war before the last one don't you?

you don't? talk to a vietnam vet about what is happening in the middle east ...

there were '4 dead in ohio'

there are '3 dead in nepal'

do there need to be more?

or is it simply a future shock that we still cannot feel?

... 8 more dead american soldiers this weekend ....

can we feel it yet?

as we sow death, so shall we reap it

in this a war crafted by deceit and fueled by fear.

it can end just as quickly as it started

'just do it'

... there once was a man named 'saul' ...

... there once was another man named 'king george' ...

does it matter?

to those of us who are connected, it does.

it is time for the war to end ...

how hurt to we have to be to put down our weapons and walk away?

how simple would it be to simply do that?

what would happen ... really?

a civil war? a power shift? a violent conflict amongs iraqis?

its happening any way ... what if we just tried sending in the peace corps instead of the marine corps?

just an idea, in case you were listening ...

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

...12.25.2001...

2006-04-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

(for siobahn)
two, duality of our nature
our image reflecting the perfection of god
the third year of being and life
lifting higher yet the essence of our existence
stepping along the journey toward your destiny
integrating new discoveries from within and without
reconciling with your source, identity and truth
three, triangulation strength
framing with its completeness and perfection of design
receive with freedom its power and structure
a third dimension of discernment, intuition and beauty
equal in strength, import and focus
for truth to flow, reconciling your natural duality
bringing peace and harmony to innate conflicts
transforming impatience, frustration and discord
through the breath of an eternal god
expressing your mind, body and soul
aligning your being with infinitude and impossibilities
to receive with anticipation, excitement, peace and love
to embrace the beauty of expansion
(tiferet of chesed)

music: 'doesn't remind me' by audioslave

... as the pope commandeth ...

2006-04-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

music
'live like you were dying,' tim mcgraw
'things that make you go "hmmmmm"' (i think c&c music factory did that one!)
"shine' by dj sparks (you may know her as deanna johnson
from Rock Star:INXS)

Yahoo! News Headline: Pope Reminds Jesuits of Vow of Obedience

i must admit, when i first saw this headline, i was excited until the darkness creeped in when i read this: "Pope Benedict XVI reminded members of the Jesuit religious order Saturday of their vow of obedience to the pontiff and said their main job was to interact with modern culture."

.....hmmmmmmmmm, now that's an interesting point of view ....

i thought we got the 10 commandments already. do we really need to take commands from another human to live a godly life? i think god spelled out how to live a godly life quite clearly ... and if god didn't do it so clearly with moses, jesus most definitely made it clear who we are to be obedient to ...

who's commandments are you following?

... don't get me wrong, the pope might be an amazing man, maybe the reason this made me queasy is i thought our main job was to 'love one another' ... 'interact with modern culture' ... does that 20' video screens and pop sequenced worship ... or does that mean going to nepal and helping the people there who were assignated by their own king?

......hmmm would like to see a transcript or more info on what he actually said ....

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

god on immigration ...

2006-04-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

... last night i read a forum on cbn.com ...
i never thought of the immigration issue in context of my spiritual walk ...
i never got past the BLATENT RACISM and FEAR MONGERING
that the legislation is based on ... i guess i didn't need god's help on it ...
the human part of me just crept out and took over.

if you think GOD cares about an arbitrary line in the dirt drawn by men with their pens that signed treaties that have never been honored ... you need to get back to the basics of christianity ...

none of this belongs to anyone, we are all guests on this planet ...
we immigrated to earth the day god gave us life ...
our brothers and sisters from another 'nation state' are no less our brothers or sisters and no less entitled or unentitled to come and go anywhere on the planet as you and or i am ...

unless of course, you consider how we don't like to let sovereign nations handle their own business and use force to exert our will over theirs ... but i digress ...

so ... go and twist your scriptures to mold to whatever position you choose to take on the subject ...

looking at it from god's eyes, i suppose its just human folly ... some thing to distract us from our purpose ... to love one another ....

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be recognized to stay in shape!'
***APRIL 22, 2006 IS EARTHDAY ... CHERISH THE EARTH GOD CREATED ESPECIALLY ON THAT DAY! ***

yahoo! news ... kill ... lies ... war ... thank god for soccer!

2006-04-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

yahoo! news today, whatever time it is ... headline "Victims' Kin Testify for Moussaoui's Life" that got me ... i got this far and began to just see the darkness creeping in:

"Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles was pilot of the hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, said she found it "deeply disturbing ... to hear that any 9/11 family member would take the witness stand on behalf of Zacarias Moussaoui. ... The fear that execution at our hands will martyr Moussaoui shows a misunderstanding of the jihadi cult of death.""

i find it deeply disturbing that anyone should criticize anyone trying to protect another being's right to life in the united states of america.

i find it equally disturbing that our christian leaders can call for the assignation of another country's leader and not be in prison. but, that's me.

justice is not blind in america it is being used by the christians to create the 'perfect' world ... according to them. i don't get it, are we all made in the image of god, or just those that go to church on sunday.

to think this man has a chance at a fair trial is almost as comical as when we thought we gave timothy mcveigh a fair trial. we are too emotionally impotent and filled with good, old christian judgment and condemnation to have blind justice in this day and time. ...soon, perhaps

but i can be impatient ... so until then, i write my senator, i email cbn, i pray for mr. bush to meet saul on that road in the bright light, and i work on changing me.

thank god for soccer and the fact that it was yahoo! news headline worthy to report on the FIAA standings of our national soccer team (the magic of peter uberroth) ... except someone PLEASE explain how the us can lose a game and have our rank go UP?

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

"i am" the resurrection

2006-04-09T00:11:00.000-07:00

easter

the resurrection or the re-surrection ?
what's a 'surrection' anyway?
i know what an insurrection is
i think i know what resurrection is
but ... just what is a surrection .... source, that's what it is.
"surgere" is what exactly? more research needed!

so, april SUCKS!
so much death it is CRAZY!
iraq is off the hook ...
people are just killing one another left and right ... why?
why do i care? because i may not wake up tomorrow ... and if i don't ....

my baby girl has to see all this darkness have hope ... here's my hope:

that she is as bright and happy as possible ... now, today. (...and if mommy's happy, everyone's happy!)

what about tomorrow, its a nice thought, but today is manifest what you see is what you create. (perhaps the source my new affinity for the WYSIWYG programs!)

ask yourself, constantly, 'how can it get any better than this?' and start answering that question and making the changes to make it so.

the jesus idol ... his is not the way, "i am" is the way.
jesus is not the truth, "i am" is the truth.
jesus is not the life, "i am" is the life.

live "i am" and death comes and goes quickly and quietly like a thief in the night ... changing you to live more like "i am" ... waking up to a new day that is our's to create.

how can it get any better than this? ... my prayer, mr. bush is inspired by a man who's name used to be 'saul' this easter season.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'
try it FREE for just 3 weeks ... it won't kill you.

something i created

2006-03-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

the jesus idol, no. 1

2005-09-29T04:16:00.000-07:00

preparing to witness to those who idolize jesus ...

you can spot jesus idolotry everywhere ....
i love the one, "jesus is god, read the bible"!
i think jesus is shaking his head like the rest of us who know that a group of men made him divine ................. thinking yet?
'i give you a sound mind' ... use it!

want to know who knows jesus, ask a simple question ....

'who would jesus bomb?'

see how fast the excuses come for not following the commandments of god .... they can't even follow orders.

just a question, perhaps the answer is 'i don't know'

for those who don't know, i'll tell you what i think the answer is
'no one.'

and this is why ...

'i give you not a spirit of fear ...' so anytime someone tells me i need to be afraid, that's not coming from god.

'love your neighbor as yourself ...' bombs and war do not embody the fruits of the spirit ... especially when you have as much power as we do.

and then there are the lies, and lies, and lies, and lies, and lies and, then, more lies. i know who 'the liar' is.

so, intelligence and intellect aside, its o.k. if you are not following jesus, he taught that 'the road will be narrow.' but i just keep on thinking that, just maybe one day we can all just be on the same narrow road cruising about the universe together; its an awfully big place out there and ....

.... and there we would all be .... each of us on our very own narrow roads perhaps chartered and travelled by those who came before .... or maybe not.

.... and then there would be this new road .... "and this one would be mine," says the newborn.

..... "when you pass me by, reach out and give me a high-five!" says jesus.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'