even Einstein knew that

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” – the first law of thermodynamics or the conservation of energy. One of the key principles in Einstein’s theory of relativity.

I’ve learned a few things

in this life,

things that no one else knows

or takes the time to see;

for example;

I know that rock n roll

began in 1948,

in the form of a simple

country blues song

called boogie chillun,

by a man

who would influence

a whole generation,

but never get the credit

that was his due;

and I know

that I have seen God

walk this earth,

in the shape of a man

during my lifetime,

and that I have heard his voice,

just as so many others did,

but that no one recognized him

for who he truly was,

but that someday they will;

I know that this life

is not what it seems,

that it is an illusion

created to deceive and fool,

a very elaborate illusion,

but an illusion

just the same;

I know that Jesus Christ

was exactly who He said He was,

just as the words of the bible

say precisely what they mean,

and are not hiding

ancient secrets,

or theological mysteries,

despite how many scholars

say they are,

that the truth is so simple,

only the simple

can see it;

whether the rest of the world

wants to believe

or not;

I know that nothing

in this life

is an accident,

that it was all planned out

from the beginning,

every detail,

every chance encounter,

that the energy

we carry inside

can never be destroyed,

only changed,

or altered in form;

hell;

even Einstein knew that.

.

.

Why Are The Clouds Pink?

The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”   Revelation 11:18

why are the clouds pink?

spiritual wickedness in high places,

powers and principalities in heavenly realms;

why are the clouds pink?

greed, power, domination,

evil;

why are the clouds pink?

the children of men close their eyes;

preferring the darkness,

believing the lies,

blinded by the dreams,

unable to comprehend,

trapped in the illusion,

caught up in the rhetoric,

pointing fingers of blame,

exactly where they are destined

to be;

why are the clouds pink?

soon enough,

soon enough.

.

.

Psalm 103

The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.   Psalm 103:6-18

when I turn to You,

light comes pouring in,

darkness slips away,

hope rises within;

I am set free;

You are a sweet summer breeze,

a clear mountain stream,

a warm, gentle touch,

innocence and purity;

truth complete;

as far as the east is from the west,

have You removed my transgressions from me,

as a father has compassion on his child,

have You had compassion on me;

through Your unfathomable sacrifice,

have I been redeemed from the dead,

by Your mercy and grace,

has my soul been restored;

forever shall I belong to You,

forever shall I sing of Your greatness,

forever shall I praise Your name,

forever shall I love You above all others;

let Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven,

remove all that is not of You,

cleanse the filth and iniquity,

abiding within this imperfect temple,

make me into a new creation;

fill me with Your love;

You are my strength,

You are my rock,

You are my comfort and joy,

You are my God;

You are my Everything.

.

.

Storms

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.   Isaiah 45:5-7

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.   2 Timothy 3:1-5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

once again, storms begin to build,

raging winds start to blow,

through the chaos and darkness,

You stand like a shining

light upon a hill,

a mighty rock which can never

be moved,

a haven where shelter might be found;

a small, still voice within

the howling madness;

trapped inside their fear,

running from their mortality,

they see,

but they are blind,

they hear,

but they are deaf;

You are so much more than

psychology or philosophical babble,

so far beyond political agendas or

simple human persuasion;

denying the sovereignty,

demeaning the righteousness,

twisting the truth;

failing to grasp the power.

.

.

One Flesh

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”   Matthew 19:4-6

what began so small,

has become so great,

what once was two,

has been joined as one;

one love,

one life,

one truth,

one flesh;

you are the one

my heart desires,

you are the one

who makes me whole,

when you laugh I laugh,

when you cry I cry,

without you I would be lost,

without you I would be alone,

without you I would be incomplete;

no one understands this great and

magnificent miracle,

this deep and hidden mystery,

a beautiful, wondrous, blessing of God,

for which I give continual thanks;

what God has joined together,

let no one put asunder,

as it was in the beginning

so shall it be in the end.

.

.

Old Friends

waiting for the day to begin,

lying here within these

walls of solitary confinement,

silence fills the void,

outside the wind holds its breath,

I no longer understand these depths,

I can no longer bear

this burden of separation;

this home has become a trap of death;

old friends return,

bringing gifts from the past,

securing peace within the unrest,

providing comfort to the poor,

rescuing the weak,

saving the lost;

no matter how far

I might run,

no matter where

I might hide,

You are there,

ready to heal,

ready to forgive;

ready to love.

.

.

Blessed

When I look up and see the green mountain tops, I am home. When I cross the James River and look down on its mighty flowing waters, I am home. When I feel the cool breeze blowing across the valley floor, I am home. And when I realize that this is only a taste of the home to come, merely a shadow of that which You have prepared for those who love You, I am left humbled beyond words or comprehension. Thank you Lord.

You have blessed me

beyond all that my mind

can comprehend,

You have led me through

traps and snares I could not see,

bringing me to perfect places

I never knew existed;

to You do I owe

all that I have to give;

Your mystery is unfathomable,

Your glory beyond mere words,

You stretch out Your hand

and all creation is silenced,

You speak and Your word

becomes reality,

the Holy King of the universe,

the Lord of all there is,

the Great I Am,

Ruler of Heaven and Earth,

my God,

my Everything;

let me praise You

forever.

.

.

A Time For Everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.  What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him   Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Romans 8:37-38

in the early morning silence

You softly speak,

revealing mysteries and truths

I cannot fathom,

surpassing all my understanding,

Your ways are not my ways,

Your thoughts are not my thoughts,

You are the vine,

I am just the branch,

all my ideas,

all my words,

are nothing without You;

there is a time for everything,

a time to be born,

a time to die,

everything You do

endures forever,

nothing can be added to it,

nothing can be taken from it,

death does not end it;

nothing shall separate us

from Your love.

.

.

A Dark Day

“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’   Isaiah 44:24-28

today was a dark day;

rainy and cloudy,

windy and cold;

gloomy and sinister;

it felt like there was

something I needed to do,

but I didn’t know what,

sometimes it feels

as though this is the

story of my life;

dark days and

not knowing what

to do;

I saw a specialist yesterday

about my herniated disk,

he suggested trying a nerve block,

he doesn’t know if it will work,

but it beats the alternatives,

so I’m going to go with it;

I watched a show about Hitler

on the military channel,

it was about his rise to power,

and the extraordinary events

that made it happen,

it almost seemed supernatural,

which is exactly what it was;

monsters like him

only exist because God allows it;

while watching the thought occurred

that perhaps his whole purpose

was to put the Jewish people

through a great refining trial,

a test,

before being allowed

to return to their ancient homeland,

it made me wonder if perhaps

the whole purpose of America

becoming a nation,

almost 200 years earlier,

was to make it possible

for Hitler’s eventual defeat

and pave the way

for God’s chosen people

to return to their promised land,

just like perhaps,

the purpose of the Roman Empire

was to create the circumstances

through which a 700 year old prophecy,

that the Messiah would die on a tree,

could be fulfilled,

and that the news of His resurrection,

could be spread through the known world of the time,

by the technology of Roman roads

and transportation systems;

perhaps;

although I’m sure,

scholars and experts,

much wiser than I,

would laugh at such a notion,

but then it wouldn’t be

the first time

God has used seemingly

unrelated and unimaginable plans

to confound the wise and knowledgeable;

would it?

who would have thought

a rag-tag band of uneducated,

fishermen and peasants,

would confound and confuse

the wise men of their day,

witnessing and testifying

to the greatest event

in the history of mankind?

who could have imagined it?

.

.

Slaves

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.   John 1:1-5

products of our own choices,

masters of impossibilities and

empty desires,

creatures of cold-hearted witness;

slaves to life,

slaves to death,

slaves to everything,

slaves to nothing;

such is our destiny,

such is our fate;

followers of a far distant night,

lost travelers upon forgotten

highways,

eventually everything

loses its value,

everything fades,

everything fails,

everything crumbles back

into the dust from

where it came;

I want to be free,

I want to breathe

once again;

life is as temporary as

the moment,

as fragile as the

morning dew,

when it has all passed;

there will always be

You.

.

.

Stolen Ground

I have tasted heights so high,

I have swam depths so deep,

touching things along the way

which were never mine to keep,

traveling beyond all there

was to know,

yet still there is more,

so much more to go;

confusion and sorrow color

these early morning skies,

answers lie hidden

among alternatives and

cascading lies,

places once called home,

crumble into the far-off fading light,

faces once called friends

disappear into the approaching black

of this forever growing night;

take my hand,

lead me from this land,

hear my voice,

help me make a stand;

darkness grows above,

storms rise from below,

unlikely pretenders

prepare for the final show,

in this never ending battle

which can never be won,

raging just beyond

all that can be overcome;

into the nighttime void a

whispers do sound,

shadows of tomorrow looming large

across this stolen ground,

mistakes of yesterday forever lost,

innocent blood shed,

freedom at such a staggering cost;

take my hand,

lead me from this land,

hear my voice,

help me make a stand.

.

.

Dead Places

dead places,

hidden among the rain soaked fields,

call out like long lost friends,

searching for days gone by,

and empty roads

never traveled;

grand plans,

big ideas,

so much lost on the way,

in this desolate wilderness

called home;

it scares them to know,

someone sees through their masks,

their charades,

they grow uneasy,

when they see themselves

through the eyes of another,

tossing and turning,

generating huge ocean waves,

among the tranquil seas;

fools;

playing foolish games

with deadly consequences,

children lost in chaos

and hopeless jungle forests;

dead places

know.

.

.

My Home

we hide inside these houses,

dreaming of the tomorrows,

imagining the possibilities,

running from the darkness,

mystified by the mystery,

trapped within the illusion,

waiting for the destination;

forever seeing,

but never knowing;

forever hearing,

but never understanding;

if it were up to me,

I would stay in this place,

seeking shelter from the storm,

swallowed up by the myth,

drowning in the depths,

growing cold from the emptiness,

guarding Your truth

like a rare and precious jewel,

but Your grace knows better;

Your will demands more;

I am searching for my home,

but I don’t know how to get there,

so I quietly wait in the wilderness,

running from the ghosts,

hiding from the demons,

praying for a tomorrow;

my home is neither here nor there,

not ahead or behind,

not without or within,

my home is in a land far away,

a whisper on the howling wind,

a flicker in the candlelight glow;

close your eyes and it is forever gone;

my home is nothing,

my home is everything,

my home is all there is.

.

.

Wilderness

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   2 Corinthians 12:9-10

the night grows darkest,

before the approaching dawn,

the struggle becomes greatest,

with journey’s end just out of sight;

look down on me with mercy O Lord,

pull me from these raging waters,

guide me through this wilderness

that surrounds my every side;

let me hold on to You;

reveal Your will for my life,

fill me with Your Holy Spirit,

let me glorify Your name,

let me be Your servant;

forever;

through my weakness O Lord,

may Your strength be made perfect,

through my iniquities and transgressions,

may Your love shine like a beacon in the night;

without You I am nothing but dust;

Your mercy and grace are sufficient,

Your love and sacrifice enough,

You alone have the power to overcome,

You alone have defeated death;

to You does all glory belong,

to You shall all glory be given,

for You and You alone are Lord,

You and You alone are King.

.

.

Imperfection

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8-11

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36

my soul has tasted madness,

my soul lies dying in the dust,

choking on the excess,

drowning in the lust,

caught up in the illusion,

dried up,

empty,

no where left to turn,

no where left to run,

guilty as charged;

once again You

raise me from the depths,

once again You

wrap me in Your love,

Your righteousness and glory

more than my filth ridden flesh

can bear,

Your perfection

overwhelming the imperfection

of all that I am;

Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!

once again You quietly whisper;

Don’t be afraid; just believe.

my God,

my King,

my Everything.

.

.

dreams

who is right and

who is wrong?

I am like a beached whale;

struggling,

turning,

pulsing,

heaving,

fighting,

rolling,

rising,

falling;

and who is right

and who is wrong?

the silence remains,

undisguised,

unspoken,

forgotten,

hiding behind

darkened windows,

shadows within the

night,

silky smooth,

hot and bothered,

passionately pure,

blends of this,

shades of that,

pieces of the

unfinished puzzle,

none of it real,

none of it genuine,

none of it true;

who is right and

who is wrong?

within these walls

are many tales,

much laughter,

rivers of sorrow,

oceans of tears,

pools of sadness,

victims drowning

within their own blood;

we are all right,

we are all wrong;

winners and losers,

fighters and failures,

lovers and haters,

innocent and guilty,

doomed and redeemed;

together;

this is all there is,

this is all we have;

I cannot dream

what I do not know,

I cannot know

what I do not dream.

.

.

Close

I awake at 3 in

the morning,

the dream still lingering,

the voices softly whispering;

I feel the disappointment,

I feel the sadness,

I feel the emptiness,

I feel the sorrow,

I always wanted to be someone

who made you proud;

but I never was;

now I run backhoes

and drive tractors,

pretending to be

something I am not,

accepting the pain,

ignoring the truth,

doing ‘manly’ things,

but still it’s not enough,

it will never be enough as

the voice inside screams:

“more,”

“more;”

eventually I will fail,

eventually I will quit,

eventually I will give up;

I always do,

I always have;

freedom is about

being free;

free from desires,

free from possessions,

free from fear;

freedom is about

being good enough

to walk away;

pretending it doesn’t matter,

doing without by choice;

not necessity;

freedom is about

being free from

everyone and

everything;

free from yourself;

the energy fades,

slipping away like air,

forever gone,

never to return,

the time is close now,

the day no longer rules,

things are different in

the darkness of this night,

light disappears,

feelings fade,

words have no place,

secrets of the heart

spill out;

the time is close.

.

.

Indignity

around 4 am it finally comes,

it seems to take longer now,

slower,

deliberate,

more mindful,

this is how it is

when you get older,

the way it was meant

to be;

recovery is never quite

the same;

I remember many things,

things no one knows,

things about which

no one cares,

hot summer nights,

stars shining in the sky

like newly discovered jewels,

fresh and clean,

your skin,

soft and warm,

your touch;

like a long lost friend;

the end draws closer,

not much longer now,

I am ready,

all the bags are packed,

I have been waiting

for such a very long time,

soon the indignity will stop,

the suffering fade;

soon enough,

soon enough;

a quiet, peaceful sanctuary

amidst the storm,

a final sleep

before the breaking dawn.

.

.

Next

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”   Matthew 14:28-33

one more lesson,

one more obstacle,

one more weakness,

one more time, I begin

to sink below the surface;

once again, You grasp

my hand,

once again, You pull

me from the depths,

once again, You teach me

to overcome,

once again, Your power sets

me free;

the world continues on,

wars and rumors of wars,

death and destruction,

joy and laughter,

greed and self-satisfaction,

vanity and pride;

none of that matters now,

the flesh slowly dies,

only a fading mist,

a disappearing shadow,

I am finished with it all,

there is nothing more

I need,

there is nothing more

I want,

all that matters now is

what comes next,

all that matters now,

is You.

.

.

No Other

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.   Isaiah 45:5-7

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.   I Corinthians 4:20

the empty highway looms ahead,

stretching on forever, no end in sight,

destinations unknown, distant and unexplored,

staring mindlessly ahead, missing the thrill of the open road,

missing the isolation of the high mountain trails,

missing the taste of a young girl’s lips,

the breathless excitement in her eyes,

the feel of her quivering anticipation;

understanding things that no longer are;

it does not matter, the past is gone,

the only truth left, shining brightly ahead,

the small, still voice, speaking deeply within,

opening your eyes, revealing things

you could never have imagined,

incomprehensible things, things of beauty, things of truth,

knowledge for which words have no expression,

leaving you humbled and in awe;

God is power,

forming the light, creating darkness,

bringing prosperity, allowing disaster,

not bold, foolish talk, not man-made traditions,

not a better way of living, not a philosophy,

far beyond anything our limited minds can comprehend,

healing the sick, giving sight to the blind,

raising the dead to life;

God is power.

.

.

My Baby Does the Hanky Panky

we were eating breakfast at the Pink Cadillac,

one of our routine, Sunday morning breakfast places,

‘Crimson and Clover’ came on the overhead speaker,

I looked at her,

she looked at me with a subdued grin on her face because

she knew what was coming next,

it is a little game we have been playing for 37 years,

she acts like it annoys her, but deep down inside I know she

loves it,

it always starts out with;

“who did this song?”

then it goes;

“did I ever tell you he was from my hometown?”

she always rolls her eyes and replies;

“yes, about 2,000 times!”

once the preliminaries were over,

I decided to take it a little farther,

something I do occasionally to keep it fresh;

“okay, what was his real name?” I ask;

I’ve probably told her the answer 500 out of the 2,000 times

we’ve played this game, and she always replies:

“I don’t know, what is it?” in a completely 'hurry up and get this over' tone,

but this time she decided to take the game to a new level;

“Tom Jackson”, she replies, with a wry smile on her face,

whoa, I was impressed;

“come on” she says, “bring it”;

game on;

“okay” I say, “who was the original bass player in the group? the

one who made the original recording of ‘My Baby Does the Hanky Panky';”

I’ve told her the story several times, how Mr. Jackson took the demo

to Cleveland, where it became a hit on the Cleveland radio stations, and how

it got him a recording contract, and how the record company rerecorded it using

studio musicians, leaving the original members without a dime;

“how would you know, and how would I know if it’s true?” she asks,

“you could make up anything;”

“I used to date his sister” I reply;

she chokes on her coffee, then begins laughing,

“you are just full of surprises” she says,

“even after 37 years,”

“so you and Mr. Jackson have something in common," she adds;

you both screwed somebody from the same family;”

“NO, NO!” I reply, “it wasn’t like that, she was a good girl,

from a Irish Catholic family, there were over 20 kids in her family,

there was never anything romantic between us,”

she gives me the eye,

the one that says, yeah right,

“it’s true” I say, “she dated me after breaking up with her

high school sweetheart, we were just really good friends,

we both knew she was just trying to make her boyfriend jealous,

I was okay with it, eventually she and her old boyfriend got married

and had kids, I’d like to think I played a small part in that,

but I have no idea if it would be the truth, I’d moved on to other things

by then;”

I go on to say “I really liked going to her house, there was always kids around,

younger ones, older ones, twins, always people laughing, a very happy place;”

even if there was no hank panky.

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Not Mine

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”   Luke 16:14-15

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.   John 1:9-13

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.   John 3:19-21

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”   John 8:23

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”   John 12:25-26

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”   John 12:47-50

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:15-21

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”   John 15:18-19

life is not fair;

the strong survive,

the weak perish,

the old die out,

the new begins;

life goes on;

do not mistake humility

for weakness,

do not mistake silence

for ignorance,

I know far more

than you think I know,

far more than your carnal mind

can imagine,

I see things you cannot see,

I travel down roads

you never will;

this is your world,

not mine.

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.   Luke 23:33-34

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