Stormbringer's Thunder

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?  And none of them doth light on the ground, without your father...  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. — Matthew 10.29, 31 Tyndale/Coverdale Bible (Modern Spelling) This should prove to be one of the more unusual approaches to a "Christmas article" that you have read, I'll wager. It will have some pretty raw honesty, and I earnestly hope you'll stay with me. There have been several teachings I have come across lately that remind us not to forget that the reason for the humble birth in the manger of Bethlehem was the cross at Calvary. I would like to go further and remind us of the glorious end of it all. The attached video by Petra as excellent lyrics (reproduced below the video). Written while the fear of global nuclear war was still strong, it is emphasizing a point that is as relevant now as it was then: God is in control. He has plans (Revelation 21.1-8), and humans are not going to thwart...

In a way, these three articles are different aspects of the same thing: Selfishness. I told you how "Monica" had died, and what is inside of people comes out, whether greed or kindness. Relatives act like vultures, wanting "stuff". For cherished memories? I doubt it. After all, a used microwave or television set is not really a "keepsake". And an abundance of items turns into clutter that eventually has to be discarded in one way or another. (Hint: If something breaks, runs down or simply has to be removed, you are not losing the memory of the person as if their spirit was attached to the object(s)). Also, I told you that people alienated from one another because of lies she had told to and about them were learning some truths and clearing the air. Reconciliations, and in some cases, new friendships, have begun to form. That's the bright side. But discovering the lies that were told has been a torment to friends and family. Now for this third par...

In our last installment, I told you about a death, and the way people act. Some show their true colors and get greedy for the possessions of the deceased, others put aside their differences and can actually begin a process of reconciliation. Truth comes out; you can't hide it forever. And a great deal of what happened is knowledge rapidly gained "after the fact". "...be sure your sin will find you out." — Numbers 32.23b (NASB) Now I have to be cagey. As I already told you, I am calling the deceased "Monica", and (with certain obvious exceptions), I do not use real names in my article. She did not live to see her thirtieth birthday. Monica's parents were divorced when she was young, and each had remarried. That is very important to this narrative. Monica's mother, Martina, married Larry. Her father, Jimmy, married Faith. Monica had mental problems (and my personal suspicion is that those were complicated by demonic oppression, but never min...

It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens. — Woody Allen Looks like I've found a new series to write about. I'm going to ask you to tolerate awkwardness in this post because I'm running on fumes. With all of the deaths that have happened around me, including recently, this is the first time that I've been in the middle of helping with making arrangements for a funeral, burial, cleaning out an apartment and so forth. On Saturday, July 31, we went to the scene of a death. Lots of shock, hysterical crying, getting people notified, talking to police, all that. No foul play, it seems to have been a matter of losing track of how many prescription pills and how often to take them, and it became fatal. She was in her mid to late 20s. That's all you need to know. As my regular readers well know, I do not use real names for the protection of people; I can make my points without risking anyone'...

No, I'm not planning on going anywhere. But I've been thinking about my final moments. Don't worry, I'm not going to get morbid on you. It's just that since my father died almost fifteen months ago, I've thought more about such things. I don't want my last words to be something hurtful shouted in anger, even if the recipient richly deserved them. Nor do I want them to be something inane, like, "I, uh...huh...what?" It's unlikely that my last words will be from the stupidity hall of fame, such as, "I bet this will be a world's record!" Of course, there's not much point in going around worrying about it; whatever happens, happens. The best I can do in that regard is to simply watch my speech and ask for God's help in that regard. Just as a side note, the last words of atheists are often full of fear. No, not all of them. It's just that there is quite a contrast with the last words of Christians . I'm not trying...

Buon giorno. Yes, I'm back and ready to rock. Nicky and Lela didn't let me down and kept the crew in line in my absence. Good thing, I didn't need to come back from my father's funeral and deal with extra stress. I didn't even have time to visit any of my Michigan goomahs while I was away! I've talked about my feelings on funerals and memorial services in another post , so I'm not going to rehash that here. But what I will do is tell you how I deal with these things. Don't hide from it This is probably an extension of the Buddhist approach of facing your problems. What works for me (and I wish my surviving brother would try this instead of putting it out of his mind) is to face it head on. There were feelings to sort out and there was sorrow to face. There was regret because he didn't know me when I last saw him, and did not have a chance to see where my spiritual and mental development have taken me. I'll admit to shedding tears, but I...