FREE FROM SOCIAL STIGMA

 

One time, a friend of mine asked me if I was ashamed to tell the world that I used to be loose. As much as it is something to be ashamed of, I realized that I'm no longer ashamed of anything that I've done. Here's why and how you can free yourself from social stigma:

When I participated in certain lifestyles, I did so for whatever reason, hating myself the whole while. And in all my self-loathing, my conditions in life only grew worse. The more I dabbled in unacceptable behavior, the less hope I had of ever coming out of this life with any level of success. Finally, I was introduced fully into Christianity and learned one immutable truth- no one, NOBODY, not a soul is perfect and sinless! (Nope, not the Bradys down the street, or the McCoys up the road, not judges, probation officers, cops, not doctors and attorneys, not even the best pastors with the deepest revelations.) Can you imagine how freeing that was?

Finally, I was able to understand that God loves me regardless and always did, even in my lowest points. I was also able to see that the people I was most ashamed in front of were in no better shape as it pertains to flaws, and were in no position to judge the mistakes I'd made. I was able to embrace the love and forgiveness of God and eventually able to forgive myself. After that, the forgiveness and acceptance of others is like an optional feature on a luxury car... it isn't necessary though it is nice when you have it. Do you yet understand what I'm trying to say?

Don't hold your head down and mope around feeling like the scum of the earth or ashamed because you've done dumb things, made foolish decisions and hurt others. WE ALL HAVE. Don't give up on yourself based upon the life you previously lived. Everyone deserves as many chances as it takes to get it right, not just second chances. Give yourself that room to change and don't dare forget or be ashamed of where you come from, whether it is homosexuality, promiscuous living, prostitution, drug use, drug dealing, violence, sexual abuse or mental illness. Honey, that is where your testimony and power lie!

Lacresha Hayes

For more information about me, visit my website at www.lacreshahayes.com or connect with me on FB at www.facebook.com/lacreshahayes2. And of course, I'm tweeting at @lacreshahayes

Journey through the Mind of God

Astronomy and its deep space sister science are

two of my favorite subjects to write about.  It is easy

for a poet's mind to dream of the enigmatic worlds of

Divinity, deep space and the magnificent wonders

of creation.  I have written several poems on these

subjects and added my audio readings to pages on

my site www.eonwriter.com   I hope you enjoy them


 

Sandy

It has always been with human kind

That we’ve been warned by stern and holy teachers

That we may never truly live

Without the Right and Only secrets of the gods

And in every age

The ready ranks of priests ordained in Holy Truths

Have boldly stood upon their Righteous Principles

To lead us to Salvation

Choose carefully, Honest Seeker

For the dire prediction of every one not chosen

Is punishment, oblivion

Or imprisonment in the unforgiving cycles of rebirth

Until we humbly yield our spirits

To some Master of Enlightenment

But first, before you go

Come outside with me tonight

We’ll lie on earth and sod

And send the hopeful dreams of history

Sailing far away on silver clouds

We will listen to a thousand crickets

Chirping to a trillion stars

We’ll contemplate by moonlight

The distant drift of mountains growing in the West

We’ll feel their mighty reach to heaven’s shore

Then come with me to find a midnight ocean

Lost in quiet thought

Softly glowing in a blue fluorescent bloom

While clouds of flowering jelly fish

Pulse in graced and lacey waltz

As they forage in their pastures

Before the sunrise meets the dew

We’ll stroll across the world among the far flung gardens

Flowering in wild and secret places

Gardens thriving in a million lives lived long before

Perhaps we'll find a nest as tiny as a teaspoon

Woven by some hummingbird

We’ll watch its chick break free

From a shell that’s grown too small

And see it breathe the first of light, and life, and self

Then perhaps we’ll pause a bit

To rise above our Right and Only secrets

And see the world through newer eyes

We’ll follow heaven’s song

Through rainbow streams of northern lights

We’ll sail on by the knowing moon

We’ll catch a ride on solar tides

We’ll soar beyond our Perfect Truths

And play in heaven’s dazzling heights

So stay a bit, dear Seeker, and consider if you will

Who is it truly who lives in Inner Light

Who truly knows the mind of God?

©   9/7/10

Sandy Hartman

Hair on the Walls

          Hair on the Walls
Jesus, where were you yesterday?
Where were you during the Holocaust?
I’m playing your character at Christmas.
You know, your birthday?
The day where everybody wants rather than needs
Are you Spanish?  I’m so confused.
Because I know a few Jesus’s from Mexico.
Hair on the walls….
An instantaneous discharge,
Purple cloth on the cross,
Blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Jesus, did you forget to set the alarm?
Are you a deist?
Why does everybody believe King James?
Is it because you’re a monarch to?
I’ve been to church before.
And everybody accepts this version as fact.
Yet they despise Charles Darwin for being an individual.
It’s hypocritical.  They’re both theories.  So chill out!
Hair on the walls….
Represents frustration, an instantaneous discharge,
Purple cloth on the cross,
Blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Jesus, I cried on my mom’s shoulder the other day.
It was nice, were you there?
Are you a pantheist?  I believe in prayer!
Jesus, what about Buddha, Mohammad, and Tom Cruise?
According to King James, they’ll all rot in hell!
That’s not fair!  I do care!
I swear to God I do care!
Hair on the walls….
An instantaneous discharge makes room for new friends.
If I ever had any old ones?
Purple cloth on the cross,
Blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Jesus, it’s your time.
You know, magic, twirlified candy-canes, and one red nose.                                     
You know, overflowing stockings, beautiful colors outlined in white, good will, and peace?
Bullies are a bitch.
I wish real was real.
Business transactions are a bitch.
Hair on the walls….
An instantaneous discharge,
Purple cloth on the cross,
Blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Jesus, my pictures lie.
Some people say that I’m like you.
And that’s true, to an extent.
Reflective glass reflects distorted images.
A broken heart creates a beautiful effigy.
Brain-dead, but my friends are here.
I looked inside you, and you, me.
Black and white, two polar opposites, it’s a shame.
Hair on the walls….
An instantaneous discharge,
Purple cloth on the cross,
Blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Jesus, a poets mind, becomes kind with time.
T.D., C.B., and E.H., fuck their world, fuck a rhyme.
I wish there were more Hagrids’ in the world.
You know, real people with a warm soul?
I’m so pissed sometimes.  I mean, every now and then.
But mostly all the time.
In the shower, I see infant fossils.
I see hair on the walls….
An instantaneous discharge,
Purple cloth on the cross,
The blood in my eyes….Represents freedom
Robert Alexander Deason
© All Rights Reserved
http://www.facebook.com/radisradicallyprimetime
http://twitter.com/#!/RADsPeace
http://trippydreamsandnegativenergy.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/longhairalex

Letter from an Agnostic

Usually I have more questions than answers. Maybe that is part of the reason that I lean toward being an agnostic.
I have had debates with atheists about the definition of agnostic so I know that people define that word in different ways. I know many atheists think the evidence strongly leads to the belief that there is no God.
Part of my agnosticism entails being flexible with the definition of god. I think that many times people are intentionally vague about god. They don't have and can't offer a definition. Why would anyone want to interrogate someone about his definition when it might lead to animosity? Why not let it be vague? Why not interpret the word god within the context of his sentence? Sometimes people may mean inspiration, placebo effect of hope, the web that holds society together, the strength of the camaraderie of the group, the awesomeness of mother nature, or some vague delusion that helps them make it through some dark period of life.
I might answer my own question in a couple of different ways:
1. They might know something that I don't know
2. I should not let people hang on to stupid beliefs
3. I love the good debate
I think those three reasons are perfectly acceptable reasons for asking someone for her definition of god after she uses the word in a sentence. I, however,still plan to resist the temptation. I do not think the following is a good reason for asking someone to define what she means by god: Everyone needs to agree on the definitions of all words before a conversation can be meaningful. Again I would like to emphasize that I think that few (if any) can define the word god satisfactorily. I feel it is better to just use a definition that makes sense to me when I hear the word god used in a sentence. Interrogating someone about his definition of god might lead to animosity. As I grow older, I want to learn to communicate in such a way that animosity isn't created during the dialogue.
Sometimes I will interpret the meaning to be inspiration whereas another time I might interpret the meaning to be the placebo effect of hope. Perhaps I might say "would you mind if I use the word inspiration instead of god when I interpret what you are trying to tell me since I am an agnostic?" If the context of the sentence calls for another interpretation then I might substitute something more appropriate for inspiration. One of the uses of God that completely baffles me is when someone tells me she bases her morals on God. That seems a dangerous statement. Whenever anyone uses the term god in an attempt to control or condemn other people then the wording has gone beyond the benign. It has become dangerous although I still believe that a skilled
communicator can discuss morals without debating the definition of god. If the person means that god speaks directly to him then I would assume he means the voice in his head. We all have that inner voice and we have to discern which ideas are good and which are not so good.
If people mean that god speaks to them through a holy book or another person, then I guess I would have two follow up questions:
1. Do you follow the advice even if it makes no sense?
2. Could the person (giving you advice) be wrong?
I am reading a book called Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong by J. Mackie. It has me thinking that the discussion about morals, values, and/or ethics is a serious one with serious consequences to our society. I hope that free thinkers will join in that discussion without getting lost in the god debate. It isn't about god. As I said in the beginning, I believe that most people use the term god in a very vague way. If you get stuck in
debating god's existence, then you may never move forward to the really important stuff.
Susan Ert-Ker
http://www.meetup.com/philosophyclub/messages/boards/

Unexpected Fallen Trees

Not long ago, late on a Friday afternoon, I was sitting at the kitchen table typing on the computer. All of the sudden I heard this thunderous sound that shook the house.  I at first thought, like a few months before, another tremor from an earthquake had occurred.   Realizing that was not what it was, I then thought something had fallen in the house making the loud racket.  As I glanced out the window behind me I quickly saw what had made the disturbing sound.  A huge oak tree had fallen just missing the side of the house.

About a year ago, in the patch of woods beside the house, a large oak tree had fallen during a storm.  It was prevented from hitting the ground as it was being held up by the large trees that surrounded it.  Having lost the life that was in it, as it became more rotten it was only a matter of time before it broke into pieces and crashed to the ground. That “time” was Friday afternoon.

The tree’s final resting place being only a few feet from hitting the house, I realized how fortunate we were the house escaped the trees huge trunk.  With a crash that startled me, I realized how blessed we were it was a near miss.

I got to thinking, how often have we escaped potential disaster and didn’t even realize it…or maybe we did realize it.  In the fallen world we live in the unexpected is always just around the next corner.  How, more often than we would like, have we been surprised and startled by how suddenly the unexpected can fall into our lives.  The thunderous sound of the unexpected can interrupt our lives without warning.

Sometimes the unanticipated hits our “houses,” sometimes it just misses our “houses.”  When it is a just miss, let us be most thankful.  Even when it is a hit let us be grateful for His support, strength, and presence that forever abides with us.  While we may be startled by those unexpected “trees” that fall our way, be attuned to Him and never be surprised by His ever faithful Presence.

Blessings, Dr. Dan.

Dr. Daniel Merritt has been a Baptist pastor in North Carolina for over 40 years. In addition to being a pastor he is also a high school track and cross country coach, as well as an author of four books. His most recent book is, A Sure Foundation: Eight Truths Affirming the Bible's Divine Inspiration.