Pivotal Moment on the Plateau

Every man reaches a pivotal moment that will ultimately determine the road he follows through life. Will he grasp fleetingly at success, risking it all to take his dreams and transform them into reality; or will he play it safe, instead choosing to settle for a life of mediocrity. Standing on the plateau overlooking the vast plains the compose his life, he can barely glimpse in the distance the multiple destinations of his life resting on the horizon. The paths to these destinations are as varied as the destinations themselves. Some traverse steep, jagged mountain ranges hidden in dark, ominous clouds; plow through deep, treacherous canyons full of vicious predators; and wind aimlessly through boundless desert wastes plagued by relentless sandstorms. Other paths are not so intimidating. These roads are well maintained and pass through peaceful meadow grasses, surrounded by the joyful sounds and satisfying smells of ambient life. However, there destinations are far less impressive than the former's. They often end in quiet rural villages graced only by local customs, honest work, and simple pleasures. On the other hand, the earlier course that persevered through perilous danger often reward their journeyman with beautiful forests, majestic castles, infinite wealth, and a glorious sunset - if they can survive the quest.

Men of immutable character have chosen both paths. Courageous warriors and entrepreneurs have laid their pride and very lives on the line on the quest for wealth, power, and glory, but is this prestige really worth the price paid to obtain it? Wise men in history have traveled the later path, choosing a life of peace and tranquility over that of struggle and conquest. These men are not once surrounded by enormous pillars of wealth , never bask in the limelight of fame, or stand victorious on bloody fields of battle, but they find purpose and contentment in the minute details. Nature is their treasure, work their pride, family and faith their purpose. Their lives are simple, their monetary value small, yet somehow their lives are just as full, if not more so, than the former sojourners.

This all raises an imperative question: Is the destination worth the journey? Or, on the other hand, is the journey actually the true destination? So as man stands on this high plateau, gazing out over the landscape into the sunrise on the horizon, let us pray he considers this prospect and chooses his forward course wisely - for he may never be granted the opportunity to turn back.

The Determining Factor

The argument between evolutionists and creationists is often fought with facts. However, this method is futile when we realize it is one's faith that drives their supporting arguments. The term “world view” is defined as the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and ethics. An individuals world view affects how they perceive facts. While facts viewed by evolutionists may obviously support the theory that life randomly evolved over billions of years, the same facts viewed by creationists may obviously support the belief in a young earth and the idea of a divine being who created life. Both sides are using the same facts to support their beliefs, and therefore neither side will make any substantial progress in convincing the opposition to convert.

While facts have been ruled out as an inefficient source for debate, morality and absolutes are still available for discussion. The Bible teaches that in the beginning God established right and wrong and holds man accountable for his actions. This moral grounding influences all of mankind's daily lives, whether they openly acknowledge it or not. Evolution offers no valid explanation for the existence of moral absolutes. If evolution was correct, then there would be no right and wrong. The only only law influencing the actions of man would be “survival of the fittest.” Therefore, if evolution was correct, then there would be nothing stopping a man from killing his neighbor. He would have no conscience provoking him of the immorality of his actions, because there would be no moral basis upon which his conscience could effectively operate. In reality, if evolution was true there would be no basis upon which man could even reason. If we are all really the result of chance random processes, then so is our ability to intelligently think. Thus, our entire ability to process information and discern what is reality would be entirely random. What one man might perceive as reality might be viewed by another man as a completely absurd hallucination. In fact, humans would have no way of discerning whether reality was actually existent at all. Entire portions of our lives could potentially be mere figments of our imagination. This concept reveals that even though evolutionists attempt to destroy the basis for creationism, they still operate their daily lives upon the moral principles and absolutes established in the Word of God.

Lastly, evolutionists argue that everything we see today is a result of the big bang, which occurred approximately 13.7 years ago. The big bang theory states that all matter in the universe is the result of a massive explosion, and that the universe continues to expand to this day. This theory has a serious fault from the beginning. Matter cannot, under any circumstances, originate from non matter. The concept is entirely absurd and defies the laws of physics. Because matter is essentially composed of energy, the laws of energy apply to matter as well. The first law of thermodynamics clearly states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change form. The concept that energy could possibly originate from nothing on its own and then accumulate itself into organized forms of matter defies all sensible logic. On the biological level, evolution continues to blatantly defy logic. Evolutionists believe that chance processes occurred, resulting in all the right chemicals necessary to create life organizing into a single cell, reproducing life form. This theory of spontaneous life is entirely ridiculous. Scientists today have active knowledge of the chemicals necessary to create life, and even under controlled laboratory conditions they are unable to reenact such a scenario. This is due to the deoxyribonucleic acid that controls the development and functions of an organism. Every organism contains a unique DNA code written in four characters: Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), and Thymine (T). These characters write out the entire genetic coding for all of the cell's multiple purposes and functions. The DNA code is impossible to comprehend or reconstruct entirely by man, and therefore scientists are unable to recreate life even when they have combined the necessary chemicals to do so. The existence of life depends on the presence of DNA, and DNA cannot exist without the presence of the code responsible for its construction. Therefore without code, DNA cannot exist, and without DNA there is no code. This concept points directly to the fact that an intelligent being created life. Without a divine maker who constructed life and established order in our universe, there would be no moral groundings, no life, and no matter present in our universe. In essence, there would be no universe to begin with. All creation provides testimony of a greater being than mankind that intelligently planned out our origin and existence. Therefore it a matter of faith, not facts, that influences an individual's belief concerning where we came from. Evolution allows an individual to create his own rules, to ignore responsibility, and to submit to no man but himself. On the other hand, creation insists that there is a God to whom we must submit and obey. It requires man to live by a moral code and to accept the consequences of his actions. These requirements are difficult to accept, and as a result mankind often rejects the Bible's truth despite the evidence stacked in its favor. Instead, they invest their faith into anti-theistic theories in a humanistic attempt to explain our existence and purpose. In the end, it is faith, not facts, that is the determining factor in the argument between evolution and creation.

The Family Prayer

"And Shepherds we shall be

For thee, my Lord, for thee.

Power hath descended forth from Thy hand

Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands.

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee

And teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti."

Blood and Tears

Tears stream from my eyes as I fall to my knees,
As blood pours from these cuts,
This fuckin' disease.
It eats at my mind, it eats at my soul, corrupting my heart,
Oh God, I just don't know
How long I can last in this tormented way,
The outer me always seeming okay;
But inside a child's drowning
In an ocean, of my blood and my tears,
Drowning he screams out but nobody hears.
His screams are silent to you
But he screams out for love,
Desperate for affection from He whose above.
Drowning in anger, in confusion, in fear,
He screams at the top of his lungs
But does God really hear?

God, I need to feel that You still really love me,
To know that my prayers You actually hear,
Won't you please prove to me that You're truly above me,
Oh God, just show me a sign that you're actually there.

I drown in this ocean of my blood and my tears,
Screaming out to be saved, but nobody hears.
The waves ravage my soul,
My mind they devour,
Wearing me out now, hour by hour.
The current rises over my head
My body is weak, I have no strength left,
My determination is gone, my hope is all dead,
And so I scream my heart out with one final breath:
SAVE ME!!





(This I wrote as a prayer once when I was working through some crap recently in my life. Its not too great, but yeah that's all of it and its legit so... hope you liked it. That's it.)

The Fall

I saw the opportunity, and as risky as it may have been, I seized it. I flew upwards, giving no thought to the danger of the situation. I continued up, focused on my goal, never looking back. I was determined to reach the top, no matter what it took. Everything seemed to be going my way, every move I made was perfect. I felt confident, in control, free. And then, one small obstacle appeared in my way. Consumed with my self-confidence, I pushed through the obstacle, underestimating the possible consequences. The obstacle refused to abide to my will, and instead broke free, pulling me down with it.

And so, in the height of my confidence, I fell. With the distance between me and hard, unforgiving ground decreasing rapidly, most people would think I would panic, cry out, show some form of fear. But in reality, I felt no fear. Only recognition of my mistake, and acceptance of the pending consequences. I felt at peace, even though I realized what may be about to happen could potentially alter my life in drastic ways. As I fell, flipping through the air, a thought came to mind. If not for the ground racing up to meet me, the fall would have actually been enjoyable. Falling with no restraints, nothing to hold you up or slow you down, this makes you feel freer than anything else I have ever experienced.

But then, Impact! My whole body flailed like a rag doll as my back came in contact the solid dirt beneath me. Oxygen flew out of my lungs, leaving me breathless and dazed. I sat up, attempting to breath, but my lungs would not listen to my mind's commands. I sucked in harder, gasping for breath. A minute passed, still no air would makes its way into my collapsed lungs. Meanwhile I tried to feel if anything was seriously damaged. To my surprise, I felt no pain. This completely confused me, considering the height of my fall. My body must have been in some form of shock. Finally, a breath of sweet air entered my desperate lungs. It hurt to breath, but I continued, forcing my lungs to inhale and exhale without pause. With my lungs functioning, I stood up, and felt the adrenaline begin to hit my bloodstream. I began to quiver as this amazing stimulant went to work. I've experienced this sensation before, and to try to describe a legitimate "adrenaline rush" is difficult. It makes you feel more alive than you have ever been. By now, pain began to set into my chest, back, and left hand, but it didn't bother me that badly. I have an odd appreciation for pain. I'm thankful for it. It reminds you that you are still living, that your body is still functioning as it should. I embraced the pain and endured it, thankful that this situation did not turn out worse than it had.

That night I had a dream I was falling. There seemed to be no end to it, because strangely there was no ground in this dream. My dreams defy logic. Haha. Call me cray, but I've realized now that I just won't be satisfied until I get the opportunity to skydive. Falling that far, with no limitations or insurance of survival besides a parachute on your back to deploy only when absolutely necessary , it excites me. The freedom, the adrenaline rush you feel is like nothing else. Skydiving is my dream, and my life won't be entirely complete until I get a chance to do it. It may sound ridiculous, but its the truth. What is your dream?

Opportunity

Every day we are faced with opportunities, both moral and immoral. The majority of the time we do not even pursue it, either because we have not noticed the opportunity or it does not interest us at the time. The thing with opportunities is that we often never get the chance to accept it again. It's like the last piece of cake. You see it, and you have to make the choice whether to take it or pass it bye. Often, if you do not take it, then somebody else will.

Such an opportunity, if chosen, can eventually come to define everything about you. However, this is not always a good thing. Like I mentioned earlier, there are both moral and immoral opportunities. Thus, it could potentially define you as a man of morality, responsibility, and leadership. Or it may corrupt you. It could turn you into an infamous man whose selfish ambitions and evil deeds are recorded in history for every generation to read and grow to hate.

I believe every notable person in history was given such an opportunity. Unlike us, the unremembered masses of earth, they noticed the opportunity and embraced it. For some, such as Hitler and Stalin, the opportunity was given to lead. Unfortunately, they abused their power and now they are two of the most hated figures in history. For others, such as George Washington or Mahatma Gandhi, the same opportunity to lead was given. However, instead of enslaving their people and leading through tyranny and fear, they chose to give freedom and responsibility to their subjects. They decided to lead with wisdom, with morality, with honesty.

So when an opportunity arises, think through things first. Will accepting this opportunity eventually give you a good reputation, or a bad one? Case in point, recognize the opportunity, determine its outcomes, and make your decision.

Reputation

Reputation is like glass. Someone can take a swing at it and leave it shattered in pieces, or they can walk away with broken fist. Build your reputation strong people, or one day you may have none of it left.