The world sometimes is too sharply defined, too dogmatically refined
While people are often far too entrenched, thirst for power unquenched
Sometimes the church bell tolls for the death of a soul while digging the hole
And oftentimes the dirge is played for the living, far too unforgiving
While other play freely in liberty, never minding those in self-captivity
For we are always free to chance, to gayly prance, to wildly dance
Without apologies or remorse to the entrenched for our chosen course
Walking through that old dilapidated house so hauntingly empty,
So filled with terrorizing memories well alive clothed with death,
Arm in arm with you my strength securing my every fearful step,
Warm in you while wrapped in cold all around bound for tears,
And we hear silent screams from yesteryear as you steer me on,
Up the staircase all around from room to room to see the unseen,
Motions on the walls with footfalls not our own but of residents,
Unwilling prisoners imprisoned in doom without hope of release,
And my body quakes while my heart flutters as I draw you closer,
Closing myself round about you my brave better part of my soul,
Completing another circuit over time-worn floors quite forlorn,
And there are ancient rugs and beds, tabletops and chandeliers,
And windows with rich but worn curtains open to garden view,
Where weeds now grow where once there were flowers aglow,
And we know we are not long for this world till we bid farewell,
Leaving behind this house that is this life to rise up high into sky,
Winging our way toward heaven above
Two in eternal love now ‘n forevermore
Did you know there is a coming Civil War in the United States? Well, I didn’t either until someone posted about it on Facebook. Well … not to be too incredulous, I decided to at least Google “coming civil war in America,” and sure enough, I got some results! From the League of the South. Never heard of the League of the South? That’s okay. They explain themselves very forthrightly on their website:
The League of the South is a Southern nationalist organization, headquartered in Killen, Alabama, whose ultimate goal is “a free and independent Southern republic.” The League defines the Southern United States as the states that make up the Confederate States of America.
Okay, now that you have an idea of what this organization is all about, what do they have to say about the coming civil war? Again they mince no words:
The coming civil war in America. With each passing day, we move closer to open conflict in America – civil war, if you will – between the forces of Western Civilization (which is founded on a biblical understanding of nationalism) and the forces of Judeo-Marxism or godless international leftism in general.
Gotta’ hand it to them on one count: They’re very clear and straightforward in their statements! If you’re like me, though, you might want a second opinion. So … I got one. This time from an article, penned back in January 2017, in The Trumpet, an ostensibly Christian webzine focusing on current events and Bible prophecy, particularly “the end times,” or eschatology. The writer of the article, “America’s Coming Civil War,” Gerald Flurry, had this to say:
Protests occurred in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Miami and several other cities (following Trump’s election.) Dozens of people were arrested. Many journalists reported these as if they were spontaneous, but everything indicated that they were all organized and planned. Many of these protesters are professionals who are paid to stir up demonstrations! Many of them don’t even live in the cities where they march and riot… Bill O’Reilly asked, “Is a civil war brewing in the U.S.A.?”
That is an important question! Clearly there are many people who want a fight — a revolution — a race war! And they are going to get it — and a whole lot more…! Average Americans just want everything to calm down so they can get back to their lives and their pleasures and so forth. But the shocks for America aren’t going to go away. You can see that if you are watching what is happening with open eyes. But beyond that, you can be sure of it because of the prophecies in the Bible.
Alrighty, then … maybe a third opinion? Well, just for kicks, I looked at a number of other websites touting the idea (or prophecy) of Civil War, but I won’t bother to share any more of what I found because, quite frankly, it all began to sound like the same person(s) wrote basically the same article with just a few tweaks here and there. More importantly, though, I was reminded just today that not only should I not focus too intently on all the negatives, I should also be careful not to spread despondency, doom and gloom. So I choose to look on the brighter side of life ~ not through rose-colored glasses, mind you, but just, you might say, realistically with a definite bent toward the optimistic.
Besides, the same person who posted on Facebook about an impending Civil War, and his friends and compatriots, also talks frequently about an evil “New World Order,” the wicked United Nations, Communists, the unholy Freemasons, illegal immigrants infiltrating our country for the purpose of overthrowing the government, and of course Muslims, etc. etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseum. I could add a few to their list, such as: the Illuminati, the world banking system, the Federal Reserve, and China. In one sense, it might be kind of fun, but then, why add fuel to the fire?
All in all, it’s better to live life in peace with joy, as much as reasonably possible. Besides, it goes against almost every belief I hold dear, including that really most people living on this globe, while certainly not perfect, are nevertheless good folk. I am also a dreamer, who, with Christian moorings, looks toward an ever-brighter future for our world, and I believe that, despite all of the wars and hunger and poverty, overall progress has been made down through the centuries, and I hold fast to the hope-filled belief that we can and will still progress now and in the future.
Life is filled with obstacles, yet it is also filled with opportunities, and something tells me that we really couldn’t have all the opportunities we do without at least some of the obstacles. After all, obstacles present us with opportunities to overcome, do they not? And with all the advancements in technology, literally linking the peoples of the world together in (possible) daily communication, we might just find (as I believe we are) that we have more of a unified voice than ever we before allowed ourselves to imagine.
At least I know I have friends on both Facebook and in the Blogosphere from every corner of the earth, and you know what? We not only get along … we actually like each other, and encourage each other. And when one weeps, we all weep; when one rejoices, we all rejoice. And while this may sound to some overly simplistic and, perhaps, too starry-eyed, I would rather live this way than constantly looking over my shoulder, finding in every different face another prospective boogeyman, waiting on pins and needles for the next Civil War or Revolution, and cringing at the daily news.
No, I won’t blind myself to the harsher realities of life, but in looking around me with eyes wide open I will say with the early 20th century minister, William L. Watkinson, that “it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” And this, my friends, is all one important reason I can (and will) have a very merry Christmas, indeed … and, yes, I trust a happy New Year, too!
At night under plight of sleepless blight, moonlight washes through the window
As howling wind screams round every bend of trees to appease dancing devils,
Who mark their time by death’s tollhouse chime on every hour while you cower
In bed, where you lay your weary head to rest, flying cares on wings of prayers
To heaven’s door when suddenly you hear footsteps across the floor and more,
You spy the awful face of the Stranger who walks to stalk an unsuspecting soul
In unholy rhythm with the bands of hell, demanding their diabolic allegiance,
Commanding their assistance against any resistance you might make for sake
Of your life now at stake, but you cannot feign courage nor gain the sympathy
Of lighter spirits, or even sprites, to make a defense against the odious offense
Of him who comes to terrorize, and so you realize your only hope is in appeal
To empyrean fortification beyond space and time, where majestic Life abides,
And should you in pain gain some sure help divine against this dark Stranger,
Then you might well resign the balance of your days to the valiance of virtue,
Whereby your very self becomes an eternal expression of gratitude
In possession of endless grace without reservation or any hesitation…
But see eyes that still peer thru the dark so stark? the Stranger yet remains
noblethemes 